


The Naga of Hamelin

by Wherever_Girl



Category: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Gen, plot divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 44,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24296512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wherever_Girl/pseuds/Wherever_Girl
Summary: “…Naga? What’s that?”“Oi, been a few decades since I heard about that kind o’ beastie! Ya see, mun, nagai are a rare species--- they’re monsters who are half serpent, half human, and aaalllll trouble! Proper venomous, hungry, and treacherous they are! …But, I thought those things were flippin’ extinct! Heard they died out over a hundred years ago, I did!”***The tale of Ni no Kuni... only this time Swaine is a naga!Will contain: specific changes to plot, some hunting/violence, some self loathing, and Swaine eventually being a protective guardian snek.
Comments: 34
Kudos: 56





	1. Prologue: The Change

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, yes, it's another one of my Naga!Swaine fics... but hey, I'm playing the game again and this little idea wouldn't go away! 
> 
> I regret nothing. 
> 
> *ignores pissed off glares from Swaine*

He was 15 when it happened.

…

Two years had passed since Prince Gascon Titanoboa Pendragon had left his homeland, boarding a ship to explore new lands and introduce Hamelin technology to other kingdoms, starting with his knack for assembling guns. The only problem was he couldn’t quite get an audience with any royals, and the guards did not take him seriously as they deemed him a ‘common child’. Sure, if he had brought up he was the son of a Great Sage, it would have gotten him a pass… but he’d be damned if he used his royal heritage to make a name for himself. His ol’ man wanted him to find his place in the empire? Fine. He would do so without relying on his name-sake!

It proved more difficult than he imagined. Eventually he had to take odd jobs in order to earn guilders for a place to stay, soon trading his attire for humble clothes when he began to outgrow them. He had to salvage and scrounge for materials to build a gun, as the wilderness proved fierce. With every passing season, he grew desperate, and that’s when it started…

The first thing he stole was a loaf of bread. He had no money, he was out of work, and there was no way the local Inn would take in a broke straggler. The peddler had his back turned.

Before he knew it, he was ducking around a corner, loaf in hand and devouring it like a savage animal. He looked over--- the peddler didn’t notice a thing, itching his head in confusion as if believing he misplaced his wares!

Realizing how easy it was, it became a habit… of course, he ended up caught by another bystander or the peddler, but was quick enough to outrun them. It wasn’t always easy, though--- in other towns, the guards were quicker, and he’d end up spending a few nights behind bars, but all he ended up doing was thinking about how to be more elusive next time.

His life as a thief had begun.

 _Sorry, Dad. Looks like I have no honor to bring to the empire--- the Hamelin Prince has become a rogue vandal._ Gascon sneered in his head. It was at that point he decided a name-change was in order--- no sense in dragging his family’s heritage through the mud any further.

‘Gascon’ was gone, and ‘Swaine’ took his place.

…

Recently, in his waking hours, the thief felt something was off. His hunger seemed to be harder to satisfy, and during cold nights in the desert he felt sluggish and slow. It wouldn’t surprise him if he got sick--- it had been ages since he saw a doctor, and his current lifestyle didn’t exactly provide much nutrition nor healthcare.

That afternoon, while taking a hike through the Golden Grove, Swaine felt his legs go numb as dizziness overswept him. He fell to his knees, his joints aching from the waist down--- his knees felt like they were melting, his shins felt like they were popping, he couldn’t curl his toes, his thighs were going numb… and he was in horrendous _pain._ He had been in plenty of street fights, taken battle damage from various creatures, and been beaten by a few guards, but no amount of broken bones or bleeding gashes could compare to the sheer agony he was feeling now!

He tried to scream in pain, but couldn’t get a sound out; tears flooded down his face. He saw the springs over yonder; he heard stories about fairies hanging around the forest near the pond, and began to crawl over in hopes that one of the fae-folk could cure him of his suffering.

Pain shot through his whole body, and it felt as if his limbs were being broken and stretched; he couldn’t move his legs at all--- he tried kicking them, but it felt as if they had been bound, his skin feeling meshed together. There was the sound of ripping, and he looked to see his pants, socks, and shoes had torn apart… his legs molding into something long, scaly, and monstrous.

At the sight of the tail, Swaine blacked out.

…

It was hours before he came to, his stomach waking him up with a pang of hunger. _What a nightmare--- guh?!_ He began to think, however any reassuring thought left him when he saw that his tail was not part of a horrid vision, but was in fact a reality.

He began to hyperventilate, wincing. What had happened?! Had he been cursed?! Did he end up stealing from some sorcerer and got a hex put upon him? Questions piled up in his mind, until a solution finally surfaced: the fairy spring! Perhaps there was magic there to cure his condition!

Moving proved difficult. He had to army-crawl through the ground, his tail dragging behind him. Dirt and grass stained his shirt, twigs scraped his skin, and leaves stuck to him; he used a trunk of a tree to lift himself up, ending up falling forth and sideways a few times when trying to get his balance. “Easy, easy…” he whispered to himself, slithering towards his destination.

After too many minutes, he reached the spring and immediately dove right in. The water felt very soothing to him; he stayed under for ten seconds, before breaking surface. He looked at his tail, hoping to see it disappear.

No good. The tail remained.

The thief groaned, looking at it with disgust, seeing the disdain on his face in the reflecting water.

He paused. It had been a while since he got a good look at himself.

His mind felt triggered. He recalled seeing someone like this before...

_“How would some naga know anything about Hamelin?!” the young prince snapped at the stranger._

_“Heh, I’m not the only naga who has lived in Autumnia.” The stranger replied back. “Didn’t your dad ever tell you the story of the prince and the lamia? The prince had been wounded in battle, and the lamia took care of him--- he ended up falling in love with her, and she turned human so that they could marry.”_

_“What… are you saying snakes run in my family? I HATE snakes! You don’t know anything about Hamelin, j-just like you don’t know anything about Marcassin! He’s not going to usurp me, and there’s no way some relative of mine married a stupid serpent!” with that, he dashed off._

Tears hit the water, making tiny ripples. How did he miss the signs? He had been talking to _himself._

He looked at his tail. It was the same color and everything--- golden-brown scales with dark-brown/black spots and a pale underbelly. The thief covered his face with his hands, sobbing heavily.

Once his eyes were dry, Swaine took in a deep breath. Alright, clearly he was going to manage with this somehow, if he was going to be around in the future. In that story, the lamia turned human--- perhaps there was a way he could do the same.

His stomach growled intensely, making him wince. Best to find something to eat first, so he could think clearly. Pulling himself out of the spring, the thief went to look for food--- there was no way he could go into town; one look at him, and people would surely panic!

*thud!*

…first he had to get the hang of moving around, first.

After spending some time to get the hang of his new movements, Swaine slithered through the Golden Grove. The forest of plenty was bursting with fresh fruit, hives dripping with honey, and berries…

He paused just then, seeing a sore boar up ahead. The wild pig was snorting through the brush, perhaps searching for mushrooms. Something came over him, as the beast looked delectable--- savory fat, juicy limbs, no doubt tasting like bacon…

Upon impulse, he shot forth towards the sore boar and catching it off guard. Of course, the pig was not alone--- a bumbler was nearby and decided to jump into the fray as well.

Swaine had no idea what came over him, but the middle of his tail shot around the sore boar; the bumbler tried to stab his tail, but he used the tip of it to smack it into a tree.

*Poof!*

The sore boar disappeared in a puff of smoke, a last-ditch effort to spare itself certain death during defeat. The Bumbler lunged again but the tail caught it by the waist and slammed it into the ground, before it disappeared as well. Thankfully, the battle brought spoils of bread and a jar of bumbler honey, dropped by the creatures.

In a blink of an eye, Swaine tore open the jar and covered the bread in honey, engulfing it in under twenty seconds! But it wasn’t enough… he was still hungry.

He looked over, seeing an Incy nearby…

…

…

…

Swaine managed to calm down from his high after ten more battles. A lot of the creatures dropped items, only a few dropped food; thankfully, after throwing a beast into a tree and knocking down a piece of fruit, he found some new spoils. He ate his weight in apples, before feeling satisfied.

Once his mind registered what had happened, he felt panic well up inside him. He had lost control, rushing at creatures as if he were a wild predator! He winced, his tail coiling up as he slumped against a tree, rocking back and forth. _Calm down! You’re not a monster! You were just hungry… just stay in control… keep calm… keep calm…_ he told himself, shutting his eyes tight.

A horrifying thought entered his mind.

What if next time he tried to hunt a person?

He shuddered at the thought; he remembered telling Marcassin scary stories about ominous creatures that lived to lurk in the dark and eat little kids--- he refused to become another urban legend used to startle others.

Swaine shuddered, hoping this would be as bad as it would get.

The young thief did not know the troubles that would await him in the future.


	2. 13 Years Later

Thirteen years had passed by the time Swaine got the hang of his new anatomy.

First thing he trained himself to work with first was his hunger pangs. The thief discovered that once he ate his fill, he could go up from two weeks to a month without food, which was fortunate as his lifestyle didn’t really allow him to have three squares a day. He tried storing food to keep, gathering fruits and vegetables and breads, only to find they would perish before his next feeding time without proper preservation. Without a bottomless bag that could keep his meals safe from the elements, he was out of luck.

So he took to hunting every week. He did so at night, when there was nary a person around; he went after rhinosaurs, who dropped tender beef when defeated. He once managed to catch a crohawk off-guard, and snapped its neck before it was even prepared to fight back. He roasted his meats over a fire.

It was strange, finding that many creatures feared him--- only the bold ones like ruffs and boars were brave enough to challenge the naga. Nothing a mugshot to the head couldn’t resolve.

But he couldn’t eat off the land forever.

In the dark of the night, Swaine would try to get close to the nearest town. First town he lurked into was Ding Dong Dell; the kingdom’s expansive sewer systems served a good purpose. The beasts below dared not mess with him, though the local naja looked to him in curiosity, as if he were one of their brethren. _I’m not like you._ He thought with a grimace.

The naga used the sewer systems to traverse through the town. Mostly, he used it to keep up with the local gossip.

He was under a bridge by the water-wheel, overhearing two strangers talk about Hamelin: “It’s a funny thing… no one has seen the Emperor for years, all his messages are broadcasted over the intercom and a scrawny servant boy serves as the messenger, I heard.” One man said.

“That’s funny… I did hear things haven’t been going well for the last couple weeks. You don’t think there’s a conspiracy brewing, do you?” his friend answered.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. Hamelin’s already got a reputation as a warlike realm, no need to bring up rumors.”

“Ha! Then why did _you_ bring it up??”

 _What is going on in Hamelin?_ Swaine wondered in concern. Not wanting to wait until nightfall, he dunked down into the water.

He learned quick that he could hold his breath longer underwater, and after practicing his maneuvering was quite a fast swimmer. Quick as a blink, he swam down the canal, taking the tunnel that emptied out into the moat. Peeking up, he saw the two guards talking--- one seemed numbed to the world, and his partner was trying to snap him out of it.

The naga shot off across the fields; within twenty minutes, he was passing through the Golden Grove.

He slowed down his pace, realizing the forest of plenty seemed dry. Odd, he had passed through here a number of times and the place was always full of life…

There was a deep bellow echoing beyond the tree-line. Not wanting to stick around and find out what it was, Swaine shot off, not stopping until he reached the desert.

The scorching sun beat down on him; while any human would feel in need of water and shade, the thief felt relaxed. He was a hot-blooded creature now, after all… though he had to remember to find decent shelter to protect himself from the night’s chill, as the Shimmering Sands did not provide any humidity and became frigid once the sun went down. He learned the hard way that he handled the cold worse than he did when he had two legs.

He stopped for a break by the oasis. He had to think of a plan to get back to Hamelin and figure out what was going on with Marcassin. He couldn’t exactly sneak on a boat--- even if he were human, his reputation as a thief would make every sailor at the port turn him away. He would need a special pass of sorts if he wanted to sail anywhere.

Which brought him to the next problem: being around people without them panicking.

He then got an idea. He tapped his chest, summoning Gunther.

Swaine first found Gunther when he was 21; the Hurly belonged to a drunkard, who was wandering the streets in Ding Dong Dell after being thrown out of the pub. The man was cussing out his familiar, kicking it as he did until he was hauled away by the guards, the Hurly having wandered off to hide. Having pity, Swaine lured him over with some chocolate, deciding it would be a good idea to have a familiar on hand.

The Hurly was cautious--- it could tell Swaine was not a normal person, or perhaps it was cautious of others due to its abuse. “It’s okay, I don’t bite.” He assured the familiar, handing him the treat. The creature took the chocolate… then gave Swaine a bonk on the head. After that, the thief renamed the creature and claimed him as his own.

On nights when he felt he needed company, he would summon Gunther to talk to. Not that the familiar paid him much attention; in battle he often hesitated on acting on command, as if he shared the thief’s stubborn personality. Still, they looked after each other, both needing someone in this wide, scary world.

Swaine leaned down towards his familiar. “Hey, buddy. I need you to do me a favor. Go into town and see if anyone has a boat available,”

Gunther hopped and flexed before following his command. Swaine nestled down in some thick bushes while he waited for his familiar to return. It would probably take some time, and he decided to coil up and get a nap in--- he didn’t exactly get his 10 hours of sleep. Not that he was lazy, it was just a fact he learned after a couple years that the regular 8 hours was not enough at night anymore, especially when the weather got a bit chill.

He drifted off…

…

Music awoke him some time later. The naga sat up, hearing a tune playing.

It was a beautiful melody; Swaine sat up, listening for a bit, before beginning to sway to the rhythm… before he knew it, his entire body was moving to the melodic sound! He opened his eyes, the world having a yellow-pink-and-purple haze to it as he danced along the edge of the oasis---

“OH!”

The music stopped with the gasp, and Swaine snapped out of his daze; looking over, he saw a girl on the other side of the water!

Acting fast, he dove into the bushes behind him and escaped while he could.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Esther walked out into the oasis to play her harp. She always came to the oasis to play music whenever she felt troubled… and she felt extremely troubled after Shadar cast his Break Heart spell on her, stealing her Courage.

Things were not alright at home. Her parents had a fight; her father worked at the babana stand these days, while her mother stayed home to do housework. When they were home together, the room felt full of tension. That’s when she would go out on her own, afraid of hearing another fight; when her father went to handle the stand, she would go with him because she was afraid he would be angry if she stayed indoors.

She took out her harp, playing it. She wished she could summon Gogo, but her broken heart prevented her from bringing out her familiar, much less taming a new one. The harpist played a tune, wanting to distract herself from these problems, not wanting to face them…

Something moved on the other side of the water just then. The sunlight was beyond them, so all she could see was a silhouette of a man… with a long snake tail!

She gasped, stumbling back. Quick as a blink, the man-snake turned and dove into the bushes, taking off.

And so did she.

Esther ran as fast as she could back into Al-Mamoon, screaming about the creature she had seen.

It would not be until a young wizard mended her broken heart that she would have the courage to step out of the city ever again.


	3. The Legend Begins

Swaine hid in the bushes almost two hours before Gunther returned. “Did you hear anything?” the naga asked, though his familiar only shook his head. He sighed, patting the Hurly on the head before summoning him back.

He would normally wait until nightfall before browsing around the city, but felt it best to move on. Castaway Cove was just a few hours from here; the coastal village had a port, it would make more sense to hear about getting a special pass there than anywhere else. Plus, the area was mainly damp and muggy, and there was an abundance of foliage he could hide in.

The sun would be setting soon, so he had to get a move on now if he wanted to get to a decent climate before the night’s chill set in.

Checking to make sure no one else was around, Swaine made his way across the dunes.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_~Meanwhile~_

Oliver and Drippy wandered the streets of Ding Dong Dell, searching for some Enthusiasm to give to King Tom. They came across the entrance of Ding Dong Well, where a boy stood with a broom and donning a cooking pot on his head. “Excuse me, but what are you doing?” the young wizard asked.

“I’m standing guard, what does it look like? Ever since King Tom started acting weird, all the mice from the sewers have been running through town! They run in and out but the guards don’t seem to care… they didn’t even care about the naga that was living down there!”

“…Naga? What’s that?”

“Oi, been a few decades since I heard about that kind o’ beastie!” Drippy exclaimed. “Ya see, mun, _nagai_ are a rare species--- they’re monsters who are half serpent, half human, and aaalllll trouble! Proper venomous, hungry, and treacherous they are! …But, I thought those things were flippin’ extinct! Heard they died out over a hundred years ago, I did!”

“Ha, tell that to the mice!” Tommy scoffed. “I heard a couple of them talking about wanting to stay above ground because they saw one slithering around the sewers. But that was a couple weeks ago, and it seems they’ve decided to start doing as they please. …Honestly, I think having a naga down there helped keep them quiet,”

“Jeepers… and you’re still keeping guard?” Oliver asked.

“Well, yeah… but someone has to do it! If no one else is going to help guard the kingdom from those vermin, I will!”

“Boy, he doesn’t really need convincing, does he?” Drippy commented.

The wizard’s locket then glowed, sensing Tommy’s enthusiasm. Asking the boy if they could use the piece of heart to help King Tom, he was more than happy to oblige.

“Crikey, I never thought there’d be a naga slitherin’ ‘bout. Maybe ol’ Tommy’s just heard one too many folk tales! A naga in the sewer… ha! Pooer lad must’ve heard the mice talking about a _naja_ and got confused!” Drippy quietly scoffed as they made their way back to the castle.

“Huh? What’s the difference?” Oliver questioned.

“Oh, well see najas are regular beasties--- basically just look like cobras from youer world but with a few nasty tricks to pull. A naga, as I said, is only half-snake; and they haven’t been seen nor heard about since I started travelling with Alicia! …Ah, but enough of that now, mun. We got a piece o’ heart to give! We can talk about myths ‘n’ legends later!”

Oliver nodded, focusing on their task at hand.

Neither of them realized this would not be the only naga tale they would hear.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

“But father, I saw it with my own eyes!” Esther whimpered, sitting up in bed trembling. The sun had gone down, and her fear was eating her alive. “At first I thought it was a man… but from the waist down there was nothing but snake scales!”

“Esther, that is enough. Your imagination was playing tricks on you, my child. Please, try to go to sleep and have good dreams.” Rashaad told her.

Esther shook her head, pulling her blanket up to her chin, trembling. “I can’t… I have nothing but nightmares… I’ll never be able to sleep peacefully again--- I’ll never step foot outside the kingdom for as long as I live!”

Rashaad sighed. He blamed himself for his daughter’s condition… had he not defied Shadar, his daughter would still have courage to face the world. He was growing tired of consoling her, running out of words of reassurance. He stood up, walking out of the room but allowing her to leave her lantern on.

He rubbed his chin, deep in thought. _A naga…? Surely not. The last one died years ago. Unless…_ he thought, but shook his head. The former Great Sage refused to get involved in such matters; his new life involved selling babanas, and that was it.

Esther, however, continued to tremble. _I know what I saw… and I never want to see it again! Never!_

Little did she know she would, once her courage returned.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Swaine found a clearing close to the village. He coiled up, tired from a long slither across the fields. He was thankful the creatures in the area still avoided him, as he didn’t want to spent the night fending off prowling beasts and wanted a good night’s sleep.

He rested his head on his scales, closing his eyes and drifting off.

…

_*Whoosh*_

_“Ha ha ha…”_

_…_

The naga snapped awake, sensing an eerie presence. “What…?! Who’s there?!” he demanded, looking around. His night vision and heat-sensors did not show any signs of another presence, but something in his mentality was triggered, all the red flags going up despite there was no one around.

Something felt off. His chest hurt. It did not feel like a pain he would get if he got hit in the abdomen, but more of a numb ache on the inside.

Swaine slithered out of the clearing, searching around. His senses were still going haywire…

Something caught his attention just then. A Rhinosnore was walking by; it turned and looked at him and, with a stunned squeal, turned and ran from the danger.

The thief’s vision suddenly had a red tint to it… he wasn’t exactly hungry, but the idea of hunting it down got his heart pounding.

Without hesitation, he shot after it.

A pained squeal echoed through the night shortly after.


	4. Chance Encounters

_~Three Weeks Later~_

A lot had happened since Oliver Dresden Wilson journeyed to the magical world. If anyone had told him a month ago that he would one day be travelling to a world filled with monsters and sages to defeat someone called the Dark Djinn and save his mother, he would have thought they were off their rocker!

But after battling corrupted giants known as Guardians, fighting a man-sized mouse, casting spells, and travelling through distant lands with a fairy, he could safely say his mind was much more open.

And now, he had a new companion travelling with him. After helping her soul-mate and mending her broken heart, Esther Clarsach Zephaniah had taken the Trials of Solomon with him, as well as helping him defeat the Guardian in Old Smokey and prevent the volcano from erupting. It was at that time she decided she would assist him in his quest to defeat Shadar.

With all that to take into account, Oliver could only wonder who (or what) he would meet on his journey next.

It wasn’t until they stepped into Swift Solutions did they start hearing the tale. “Look at the errand board!” Esther gasped, while Oliver was collecting a reward for a bounty hunt they had completed.

Oliver looked. Normally the board only had a small trifle of requests, but as of late it was suddenly covered in notes! “Golly! Look at all these!” he gasped, reading through some of them. “’Naga attacking travelers and stealing their goods, east of Castaway Cove’, ‘Several beasts are terrified to come out of their cave, worried about being eaten by a vicious snake-man beast’, ‘Strange creature seen slithering around the dunes east of Al-Mamoon’…”

“Oi! Reminds me of that tale Tommy told us back in Ding Dong Dell, this does! I guess that lad wasn’t just passing around urban legends!” Drippy commented.

Esther gasped, a memory dawning on her. “I saw it, too! After I was heartbroken, I had been by the oasis. I was playing my harp to try to calm my nerves… and suddenly something came out of the bushes! It made me jump out of my skin!” She told Oliver. She then crossed her arms. “Hmph! And Father said it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. Lets go find that naga, Oliver!”

“Yeah! We’re heading to Castaway Cove anyway, we might as well see what’s going on!” Oliver replied.

“Aye, I’m a bit curious as well, mun. Haven’t really seen a naga since I was a littlie, it might be interesting! Oi, maybe ye can even tame it, dab!” Drippy agreed, turning to Esther.

The bard tapped her chin. “It DID look like it enjoyed my music…” she said.

“Lets go then!” Oliver encouraged, and the trio set off.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The waters on the bank of the wetlands were calm, a pair of Purrloiners relaxing in the shade of a tree while a Whambat hung upside down on a branch.

*SPLASH*

The purrloiners let out a couple of frantic screeches and the whambat squeaked in alarm, all of them taking off when the naga burst out of the water, lying on the bank.

The thief let out some breaths, slithering over to a tree and slumping against it. He looked at the goods he had plundered off the merchant.

It was quite easy to do with his speed. It was easy for him to swim in the waters and linger underneath the docks, swiping whatever he laid his eyes on. And with the local merchant keeping his things so close to the village entrance, the thief had no trouble creeping over and nabbing a couple things. He was spotted, but once he shot off he was practically a blur.

It soon got to a point where the peddler practically _allowed_ him to steal, perhaps in fear that if he let the naga take what he wanted, he would be spared from being his next meal.

Castaway Cove was a peaceful place, he learned. No one carried weapons and there were hardly any crimes. And since he never went too far into town, barely anyone caught sight of him; those who did no doubt were thought to be spreading tall-tales, and in time he would probably become a folklore that was shared around the campfire.

He had to take breaks, though. If he kept terrorizing the little village, chances are traps would be set out or mercenaries would be called to hunt his scaly hide.

He went after travelers a few times on the road. He could not resist; there was a red tint to his eyes every time he saw someone passing through _his territory._ Yes, the damp outlay of the lands became his personal hunting grounds; creatures all over were scared witless, some of them too scared to wander about as long as the naga was on the prowl.

Next to stealing, hunting became a habit of his. When it was over, he hadn’t the foggiest idea of what he had done.

Except that one time… a few days ago…

_A pair of children were sitting on the docks, their feet dangling off the edge as they soaked them in the water. They were telling funny stories and giggling._

_He had been in the water. He was hungry._

_Without thinking he grabbed one of them by the ankles and pulled them under, the end of his tail wrapped around their leg as he began to drag them off…_

_He looked back, seeing something shiny falling from their pockets. Losing interest in a snack, he released them and dove after the item, finding it was just a single guilder._

_He resurfaced under the bridge, watching as the child frantically swam back to his friend. He felt the urge to chase after them, but too many people had gathered._

_“Mitchell! What happened?!” the boy’s mother cried._

_“I… I think my foot got snagged on something and I was pulled in. I managed to get free, though.” The boy replied, a bit too shaken to recall anything clearly._

_“There, there. Come inside and I’ll make you boys some lemonade.”_

_“I saw something in the water…” the other child spoke up, this one being a little girl. “It was long, like a giant snake! I’ve been seeing it steal from the peddler, too!”_

_“Lilly, calm down. This is no time for your wild stories,” her father chided._

_“But it’s not a story…!”_

_The naga sank back into the water, going back to the shore. He felt shaken and sick…_

_That is, until he spotted a hog-goblin passing by._

Swaine shook his head. _I was just hungry and not thinking straight. As long as I eat my fill, I’ll be alright._ He told himself, having been repeating those words of self-reassurance for days now.

He looked at the goods he acquired now. Only a candy bar a boy had set down on the dock while he was fishing and a carnation cake he stole from a green chest with his trusty pickpocket’s pistol.

It wouldn’t be enough.

Slithering up the path, he decided to see if he could snag anything good off the merchant…

The only thing that caught his eye was a large cauldron sitting off to the side. With his sharp senses, he could hear something inside of it, and his heat-sensors could make out some form sealed inside…

He shot forth and grabbed it, turning to head back…

Only to see someone else was entering the village.

“Dammit!” Swaine hissed, then turned and shot off the bridge, into the water.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The first thing they spotted was the tip of a long tail, lying around the corner. Walking into the village, they froze when they saw the rest of it connecting to a man…

Who slithered off at the speed of light, dragging a cauldron with him through the water.

“Oi! It’s that naga!” Drippy exclaimed. “And he took off with a flippin’ huge pot!”

They ran up to the peddler, who was wiping his face with a look of relief. “(thank goodness, it’s gone…)” he whispered to himself.

“Are you alright, sir?” Oliver asked him.

“Aye, that naga didn’t attack ye, did he?” Drippy questioned.

“Hm? Oh… no, he does this often. He comes and steals my wares every so often, but he does so without causing me harm. It is better to let the scoundrel take a couple cheeseburgers than risk getting bitten!” The peddler replied with a nervous laugh.

“So you’re losing profit just to keep safe? …That rotten snake! We’re not going to let him get away with threatening this man out of his business, are we Oliver?” Esther declared.

“No way! C’mon, lets go track him down!” Oliver agreed, and they took off.

“Oi! Wait up! Youer gonna need Drippy the Naga Tracker to catch him!” Their fairy friend exclaimed, following them.

The peddler blinked. “Er… but… he never really threatened me.” He sputtered.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Swaine sat on the bank, looking at the cauldron. Why did he have this again?

The lid on it was sealed shut, and even with his pick-locking skills there was no way to open it.

He rubbed his head, trying to clear his mind. He was after food… but he had a useless cauldron.

“Hold it right there, Snake Butt!” shouted a voice, and he looked over to see two kids and a lantern-faced fairy running forth. “Back away from th’ cauldron ‘n’ put yer hands behind yer head, in the name of the Lord High Lord of the Fairies!”

“What the…? What do you lot want?” Swaine questioned.

“We want you to give back that cauldron you stole, for one thing!” The girl of the group snapped.

The thief looked at them, scratching his head. Something about them seemed familiar… “Steal? I didn’t steal it,” he replied, his thoughts in a fog as he was trying to figure out where he met these characters before.

“What th---! Are you trying to play dumb or something?!”

“You mean you don’t remember stealing it?” The boy questioned.

Swaine scoffed. Clearly all they cared about right now was the cauldron. “Heh. What would I want with this rubbish thing anyway? If you want it so bad, it’s yours!” he exclaimed, and tossed the cauldron to them! While they were catching it, he quickly shot past them. “I’m sure it will make you very happy!”

With that, he took off into the foliage.

But he did not go far.

Climbing up into a tree, keeping his scales hidden in the leaves, he watched the trio walk off with the cauldron. “…so he just steals for the heck of it?” the boy was questioning.

“If that’s the case, he’s even worse than I thought!” the girl huffed.

 _You kids don’t even know the half of it…_ Swaine thought in mild shame.

It was a strange situation. Normally when someone came too close to him or confronted him, he managed to either scare them off or run away before they could try to catch him. He never took time to swap words, always feeling someone would either scream or try to spear him before he even opened his mouth.

But around these kids, he felt… comfortable.

It got him curious about them, and after they were out of sight he slithered back over to the water and dove in, deciding to see what exactly they were up to.


	5. Losing Control

_So they want to get on a ship to Autumnia, huh?_

Swaine smirked to himself after having overheard the conversation beneath the dock, the characters on deck asking to board _The Sea Cow_ in order to continue on their journey; the sailor, Sindbah, only laughed and claimed they needed a letter of passage from the Cowlipha of Al-Mamoon if they wished to go anywhere overseas.

It was too good to be true.

The naga’s memory was jogged. He had to go to Autumnia, too…

Someone there needed him.

He had heard stories while spying on travelers, how the kingdom practically closed off trades and ‘strange laws’ were being passed. _Dammit, Marcassin, what are you doing over there?!_

And so began his mission of trailing the small trio of familiar faces back to Al-Mamoon.

Following them through the wetlands was a cinch; with enough trees, bushes and tall grass to hide in, he had no fear of being spotted. It wasn’t until they began crossing the desert that he had to work to find coverage. He had to follow them from a distance, relying on his keen eyesight and hearing to keep track of them.

Something inside of him stirred; the idea of _stalking_ these kids made his heart race and gave him a boost of adrenaline… his vision developed a red tint along the edges…

Another creature suddenly appeared on his radar.

With a sharp hiss, Swaine lunged forth and tackled an Adamantiger who was prowling upon the group. The creature roared and hissed, clawing at his face but his tail wrapped around its entire body, his arms wrapping around its neck in a headlock as he gripped its head, both of them rolling behind a boulder. He looked around it.

The group didn’t notice a thing.

*Chomp!*

“Agh!” Swaine snarled, the adamantiger biting his arm and squirming free, running over the dunes. The naga got back upright, and went back to… to… _Dammit, what was I doing out here again?_ …oh, right! Keeping an eye on those travelers!

He slithered up to the oasis, climbing up a tree and maneuvering his way onto the kingdom wall, and slithered along the edge. Had he two legs instead of a snake tail, he could just follow them into the city and find a guard who didn’t mind sharing inside information (for a price). But if he so much as approached anyone, panic would ensue.

He got onto a rooftop close to the palace, and spotted the group walking up to the palace; however they were turned away, as the Cowlipha was not having any visitors at all. The kids then got the idea that if they could find her favorite food, perhaps they could get an audience with her… but exhaustion was setting in, and they decided to head to the Cat’s Cradle to get some rest.

Seeing that the sun would be setting soon, Swaine decided the same. Navigating his way along the rooftop, he spotted an empty apartment room; it looked like it was being used for storage. Perfect! He could have a warm place to sleep AND have something to loot for his trip across the seas!

Slithering in, he saw there was not much to steal. Mainly old scaffolding, empty barrels, and piles of dusty, moth-eaten fabrics were propped here or there, the room looking as if it had been forgotten. He grabbed a few ragged blankets and made himself a little makeshift nest, coiling up for the evening.

…

It was well after sunrise when he picked up a scent. Someone was… cooking?

He crawled out back onto the rooftop, looking around for the trace of the smell, and his eyes caught sight of something glowing down below. It was that young boy! He and the others were standing by the milk fountains, and he was conjuring up something…

*Poof!*

Swaine’s eyes widened. The kid made the biggest wedge of cheese he had ever seen! Alongside that, there were giant pieces of candies and cake to boot!

His mouth watered… but he shook his head. He had to remember he couldn’t have sweets; he learned that after gorging himself with a dozen small cakes to get his fill, but ended up puking it all up in a matter of seconds. The same rule applied to alcohol--- he once only took a swig and ended up feeling horribly ill, emptying his entire stomach.

The kids picked up the cheese, allowing a few of the local children to help themselves to the other treats while they carried the enormous dairy product towards the palace. Seeing the cheese, they were allowed passage.

Swaine gave a nod. “Clever kids,” he said to himself. Sweet-talking their way into getting a boat-pass, he couldn’t help but feel impressed.

He decided to head back to Castaway Cove. In time, he could ‘borrow’ their letter and be on his way.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

“Tidy, back to Castaway Cove we go!” Drippy exclaimed as they left the palace; it had been a lengthy process getting both the letter of passage and a picture of the Great Sage they were seeking. After searching all over the kingdom for someone who had some Restraint they could give to Queen Lowlah and restoring her heart, their journey was once again underway.

“Lets gather some provisions, first. It’s sure to be a long trip across the sea,” Esther advised, and they entered the local Hootique.

The kids picked out a few iced coffees; they had gathered plenty of spring waters, and decided to have Al-Khemi (the genie of the cauldron they had been given) whip them up some strong coffees later on. They were stocking up on sandwiches and treats for their familiars when two more customers entered, in the middle of gossip.

“I’m telling you, I saw it moving up on the rooftops! I was hanging out the laundry to dry, and caught sight of a long, scaly snake tail slithering along the edge of the kingdom walls!” a young woman was stating.

“You know, I took a walk out to the oasis just the other day, and saw something slithering across the sands! But I figured it must have been a mirage,” her friend responded, scratching his head. “You think it’s real, or do you suppose those rumors are getting to us?”

“I pray to the ancients that it is the latter…”

Oliver, Esther and Drippy walked out. “I almost forgot about that naga… do you think he’s still hanging around?” the young wizard asked.

“Pah! If he is, we’ll give him a whopping if he tries to mess with us!” Drippy exclaimed.

“Really? What happened to the whole, ‘taming him with my music’ idea?” Esther questioned, her tone a mild scolding.

“Oi, we gotta give a few creatures th’ good one-two before they’re loopy enough, en’t it so?”

“I don’t think that would work though…” Oliver said, rubbing his chin. “He didn’t really attack us like the rest of the monsters we’ve faced. And he’s part human! Maybe we could try talking to him next time,”

“Hmph. Good luck. He could be FULL human and still be a stubborn jerk, the way he acted.” Esther scoffed.

“Alright, alright, we’ll handle the naga issues later! Right now, we’ve got a boat to catch!” Drippy stated, and they went on their way.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_Dammit, what’s taking them so long?!_

The naga slithered back and forth in the clearing, ‘pacing’ furiously as it was considered. He had been waiting almost all day for the trio to pass by; between a two-hour long trek from Al-Mamoon to the mountain pass, and another two hour trek across the wetlands (with an additional twenty minutes for every creature attack), there was no reason they shouldn’t have gotten here by now!

Swaine began to fume. They HAD to get here soon… otherwise… how would he be able to get home?! He had to get back to Marcassin! He was doing everything wrong--- something was going on over there, and he had to get back to him! He had promised Marcassin he’d always be there whenever his little brother was in trouble…

His stomach grumbled just then…

_For crying out loud, why now of all times?!_

He looked around, trying to spot a creature he could hunt down; he slithered up the path, searching around, his appetite nagging him to eat something, anything…

He spotted them up the path, almost 50 yards away.

A red tint returned to his eyes, and without another thought the hunt was back on.

He waited in the bushes, keeping low… then shot out---

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

“LOOK OUT!” Oliver cried, pulling Esther back when the naga burst out of the foliage, whipping around and blocking their path!

“It’s him again!” Esther cried.

The naga glared at them, letting out a sound like a hiss as he leered close; his eyes were glowing a violet color, and out of his mouth long fangs sprouted. A black mist was starting to form around him.

“Oh no, not another Nightmare!” Oliver gasped.

“A what?!” Esther questioned.

“Just brace yourselves, here it comes!” Drippy shouted.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

He couldn’t think straight…

He had grown impatient waiting for a ticket home…

His hunger was all too demanding…

He didn’t even think about how these kids were familiar to him--- he wanted everything NOW. If he had to crush them in his coils and devour them for a way home, so be it!

All at once, everything went black.


	6. To Tame a Naga

_“Augh! A snake! Mama, come quick!” the young prince of five years cried, running away from the tiny serpent that was slithering through the indoor garden._

_“Oh, it must have been in the plants we just brought in.” Empress Najeena surmised. She picked up a small jar and scooped the small snake up. “Come along, we’ll take it outside where it belongs.”_

_“Can’t we just kill it?”_

_“Did it attack you?”_

_“No… but it might have!”_

_“’Might’ is a strong word, Gascon. …You see, snakes will only attack for two reasons: when they are hunting for food, or when they feel threatened. This little garter snake was just minding its own business, but I think it will feel less better if it were in its own elements. Being inside a kingdom would not be a good idea--- unless we wanted a pet to eat insects, hee hee.”_

_“Still, its creepy…”_

_They exited the kingdom and Najeena tipped the jar in the grass, letting the tiny snake slither off towards the hill. “Well, as ‘creepy’ as it may be, snakes have an important role in nature. Plus, it was just a baby--- chances are, it has a family looking for it somewhere. You wouldn’t like it if you were separated from your family--- even worse, getting killed just because someone thought you were creepy!”_

_“I guess not… I still hate snakes, though!”_

_Najeena tussled his hair, picking him up as they walked back into the kingdom.”Oh? Did I ever tell you the story about the prince and the lamia?”_

_“What’s that about?”_

_“Once upon a time, there was a race of people who were half human, half snake. The males were called ‘naga’, and females were called ‘lamia’. They used to live in a beautiful land not too far from our own home, just beyond the mountains. One day… something horrible happened to their land, and their entire home was destroyed; only a small family survived--- a naga father, a lamia mother, and their daughter._

_“Now, these creatures were special, for unlike other monsters, they had the ability to turn human! The daughter would grow two feet to go and explore a human town, for her parents--- remaining in their snake forms at all times--- were too shy to go near humans, fearing they would be hunted. One day, the daughter saw a young boy out in the wilderness, battling a fierce Hyper Boar that had found its way onto the land! The boy was wounded and in grave danger, and cried out for help!_

_“Without hesitation, the daughter changed into her lamia form and fought the boar, defeating it immediately! The boy was stunned, for he had never seen a creature like her before… but seeing as she saved his life, deemed her a friend. From that day on, every day for ten years, the boy would come out and see her; after some time, the daughter began to walk on her two feet more often in order to walk around his home town._

_“Her parents, sadly, had passed on by the time their daughter was in her twenties. She was afraid, for she had no home to return to and was afraid of being alone. The boy, now a man, heard of her sorrows and asked her if she would become his wife. Overjoyed, she said yes… and it was at that moment she realized she would be married to a prince!_

_“After they were wed, the lamia never slithered again, for the love of her life made her feel human, and she forgot about her heritage. It is said, however, that every few years someone in their family could carry the trait and be a naga.”_

_“Yikes… being part snake? That’s scary!” The young prince commented._

_His mother sighed, but patted his head. “Well… there ARE benefits to all things, my son. As long as you do not focus on what you hate, you will find good in all things. Now, come on inside, it’s time for your bath.”_

_“Aw, maaaan…”_

…

Swaine awoke, but still felt in a haze. He looked at the group and hissed, preparing to attack again.

“Crikey, we gotta do something and fast! Otherwise another Nightmare will bust out!” the fairy was shouting.

“Well it doesn’t look like he’s going to hold still!” The girl stammered.

“We have to find him some Restraint… Esther, play your harp, see if that will help!” The boy ordered.

“What?! But you said---!”

“Just try!”

The girl did as she was told, playing a melody on her stringed instrument.

The naga paused, his gaze having a yellow-pink-and-purple tint to it once more; it was just like the music he heard at the oasis long ago, and he remained still, only swaying to the rhythm. He did not notice the boy and fairy hurry off back to Castaway Cove, only focusing on the tune.

…

It was not long before the boy returned, having the girl stop playing (which was a relief, as her fingers were growing tired) and he approached the naga, opening up a locket of sorts and a ball of light shot out and hit Swaine in the chest!

The thief gasped, feeling something warm fill his heart. His vision cleared; his hunger did not feel that strong now, and for the first time in a long while he felt he could finally focus his attention on something.

The first thing he spotted was the letter of passage… and saw a picture of Marcassin! “Hey, let me see that for a second,” he stated, reaching for the items, but the boy jerked his hand back.

“Not so fast… what would you want with these?” The boy demanded. “And why did you attack us?!”

Swaine froze. Suddenly he was well aware that he was a naga--- a snake-tailed beast!--- talking to a human kid. He backed away, his mind racing. “Oh! Um… sorry about all that, I must have mistook you for a pair of rhinobores.”

“Well, I’ve never!” The girl huffed, hands on hips. “You couldn’t control your feral instincts, that’s all that was!”

“Alright, alright, you got me. Now, about that passage and that picture…”

“Why do you want them so bad?” The boy questioned.

“Let’s just say I’ve got business with someone overseas, and I can’t let that picture be doing the rounds. Tell you what! I’ll buy them from you! That sounds fair, right?”

“They’re not for sale. We need them to get to Autumnia and find the Great Sage,”

“The Great Sage?” The naga arched an eyebrow. “What would a pair of squirts like you want with the Great Sage?”

“We need his help. We need him to teach me magic, so I can fight Shadar.”

“You what…?” He couldn’t help but laugh. “Ha ha ha! You’re serious?? You want to go off and fight Shadar, and you want to drag that pretty-boy in the picture into it??”

“We ARE serious! We need to find him!”

“You lot must be crazy… or you’re just plain stupid. You do realize no one stands up to Shadar and survives!” He looked away… he remembered the first time he heard the news; he had been working on a ship when he heard word that the Emperor had defied Shadar and paid a great price: his life. “…Nobody.”

The girl approached him. “I know he can do it. He helped my father, Rashaad.”

Swaine looked at her, surprised. “Rashaad? The _Great Sage_ Rashaad?” He had only heard rumors, but there was a lot of talk that the Great Sage of Al-Mamoon refused to do magic again and instead sell babanas because of an encounter with the Dark Djinn.

“That’s right. Oliver has done so much already--- and I know once we find the next Great Sage, we’ll be one step closer to saving the world.”

The naga thought about this. Suddenly something jogged in his memory--- an ambitious young wizard, a silly fairy, and a brave young girl had once visited him in his childhood… accompanied by a… a…

Swaine smiled to himself. _Ha. I guess fate really has plans for me, doesn’t it?_

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’ve convinced me…” The naga turned back to them. “I’ll come with you, and help you find the Great Sage.”

“WHOA! Hold on a flippin’ minute, mun! What makes ya think we’re just going to let a snake-butt scoundrel join us on a trip?!” The fairy demanded. “Crikey---ye were ‘bout ready to eat us a minute ago!”

Swaine sneered at him. “I don’t eat people! And I’ve got business with the Great Sage, myself!”

“What, did he up ‘n’ curse ya like this?”

“(Mister Drippy!) …You can come with us, if it’s that important to you,” The boy answered after shushing the fairy. “But no tricks!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll behave myself… probably. Don’t worry about a thing, kid.”

“I’m not a kid! My name is Oliver!”

“Alright, alright, keep your hair on! …I’m Swaine, a pleasure to be in your company.”

“I’m Esther,” the girl spoke up next in introduction.

“Well, if we’re swapping how do’s then--- Drippy, Lord High Lord of the Fairies, at youer service!” the fairy concluded.

The thief remembered something just then. “Oh, and while we’re making the introductions… c’mon out boy!”

Tapping his chest, he summoned Gunther; it had been a long while since his familiar had been out in the open, and he was as energetic as ever. “Whoa! You have a familiar??” Oliver exclaimed, astounded.

“You didn’t steal him, did you?” Esther questioned.

“No, I did not! He’s my familiar, fair and square! What, you think that just because I’m half snake, I can’t have one?” Swaine scoffed.

“It’s okay, Esther. He should be a great help!” Oliver assured.

“Oh, that’s not all I can help with…” Swaine looked around, his vision spotting a green chest lodged up in a tree not too far off. “Over here. …Ever see a chest that’s out of reach? Well, I have something to help with that,” He then took out his pistol, and shot at the chest, retrieving a babana flan!

“Neato! I’ve seen a lot of chests way up high in a few areas,”

“(Crikey, why didn’t he just climb up with that long body o’ his? Flippin’ show off,)” Drippy muttered.

Swaine sneered, then grinned. “I ALSO have enhanced hearing and sight… as well as great speed and strength,”

“Yipe!” Drippy ran and hid behind Oliver. “Oi, I’m having second thoughts about this, mun!”

“Yeah, he seems like quite a shady character…” Esther commented.

“C’mon guys, the more the merrier right? The most we can do is trust him,” Oliver told them.

Swaine paused. Trust? No one had trusted him in years…

Hell, this was probably the longest conversation he’s had with anyone--- and it didn’t involve any screaming or threats!

He cleared his throat. “Alright! So, shall we set off?” he asked.

“Yeah, lets go! …oh, but it’s getting dark.” Oliver noticed.

“We used a lot of magicka fighting Swaine’s Nightmare, too…” Esther said, feeling worn out.

“Aye, looks like we’ll need some shut-eye, then we’ll set sail early in the morning! Can’t wait to wipe the grin off that smug captain’s face, I tell ya!” Drippy stated.

“Right. One more night in our swimsuits can’t hurt! The Cat’s Cradle is sure to be comfortable… oh.” Esther paused, looking over at Swaine; the naga seemed a bit uncomfortable. “What’s wrong?”

“I… can’t exactly stay in the inn--- for the obvious reason.” Swaine muttered. “If I stroll through town, people are likely to panic!”

“Oi, then how were ya planning on getting on the ship, mun?! Figured that a letter o’ passage would make those sailors turn a blind eye, did ya?” Drippy commented. “An’ what about the Great Sage?! We’ll be going into a whole new town to get to him!”

“I know all that! But.. I-I was planning on taking a discrete approach,” Swaine rubbed his arm. “I… haven’t really been around people for the last 13 years. In case you haven’t noticed, people aren’t exactly used to seeing a naga around,”

“Well… then I guess it’s time they got to know one!” Esther firmly stated.

“Huh?!”

“Yeah! Once people realize you’re not a real monster, it’ll be okay!” Oliver added, taking him by the hand. “C’mon, we can introduce you to the Governor first,”

“R-Really, guys, this isn’t a good idea…!”

“Ah, no use fighting it, mun. Once these kids decide something, there’s no changing their mind!” Drippy exclaimed, hopping up on his shoulder. “Besides, if there’s any place to get a fresh start on socializing, it’s Castaway Cove--- proper peaceful community it is!”

“I don’t know…”

“We’ll be with you the whole time, don’t worry.” Easther said, giving him a friendly shove. “Lets go!”

The naga sighed; true, he could just pry out of their grips and shoot off, but their presence gave off a secure aura. Plus, they had a point--- he wouldn’t be much help to Marcassin if he just hid on the sidelines.

“Okay… but if anyone tries to spear me, I’m blaming you lot!” Swaine commented.


	7. Social Interactions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may be a little sappy in parts, but honestly I knew that if I didn't resolve something NOW, I would end up with a gaping plot hole later. 
> 
> Also, am I the only one who's disappointed that you only use the Secret Ingredient spell *once* in the game? Seriously, not even for a side quest, or even as a way to make new (edible) items! 
> 
> ...Anyway, on to the chapter.

Swaine hesitated eleven times the closer they got to Castaway Cove. Despite the comfort he felt with his new companions, the naga had doubts that it would overshadow the anxiety he would feel around others; he was half snake--- a beast that had not been seen before and had attacked travelers for their goods, killed lesser creatures for a meal, and whose long scaly body was strong enough to strangle an entire ulk! There was no possible way the locals would permit him entrance to their humble little village, no matter _how_ peaceful the people were.

The moment the entrance to the seaside town came to view, the thief could only recollect what he had done in his Heartbroken state, his memory starting to clear up… mainly how he came close to drowning a child due to his wild impulse. Then there was the peddler he stole from on a continual basis--- he no doubt had closed up shop and turned in for the night, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t see the naga later on and curse him for all the profit he had lost…

His stomach gave a _*gurgle*_ and he froze. “W-Wait… I shouldn’t go in, yet.” Swaine told the trio, his hand on his (human) belly.

“C’mon, mun. Sooner or later ya gotta face the public!” Drippy exclaimed, the fairy having been riding on the back of his tail for the last ten minutes.

“It’s not that… it’s my stomach. I need to eat something,”

“We can buy you some food once we get to the Inn,” Esther assured.

Swaine sighed; how could he explain this? “No, it’s… how do I put it… Every two weeks to a month, I need to eat my fill. If I don’t get enough to eat, it’s hard to control my appetite and I lash out.”

“Huh? But we restored your Restraint! That means you’ll be alright, doesn’t it?” Oliver questioned, scratching his head.

“Heh, if that were the case, I must have been heart-broken for _years_. I can’t quite explain it… it’s kind of like if you lot went without breakfast, lunch, or dinner for a few hours. You’ve been there before, haven’t you?”

The young wizard considered this. “Well, I guess… I remember when I first came to this world, all Mister Drippy and I had to eat were three loafs of bread, and we had to travel all over the Rolling Hills and through the Deep Dark Woods before we managed to buy more stuff from Ding Dong Dell. I guess I never noticed because I was still getting used to everything!”

Swaine cocked his head. “’Came to this world’? How do you mean?”

“It’s kind of a long story… one that we can tell you once we go into town.” Esther coaxed. “If you’re hungry, we can give you something to eat in order to curve your appetite until we get settled. How does that sound?”

The thief had to let out another sigh, knowing there was no sense arguing--- it was late, the trio was no doubt tired, and it would be selfish to have everyone camp out in the damp wetlands just because he was nervous. “Alright… what do you have?”

“All we have is a fish-burger and some iced coffee. Will that be enough?” Oliver asked.

Swaine nodded, accepting the snack; coffee had no negative effect on him (which he thanked the heavens for, as tired as he was most days), and he found he really enjoyed the taste of fish--- often when he wasn’t hunting on the land, he would be swimming in the water to catch a fish to fry. The sandwich and beverage did little to fill him, but it was enough to stop his stomach from rumbling.

“Good, now lets go in. Just stick by us, and you’ll be fine,” Esther encouraged him, taking him by one hand while Oliver held the other (Drippy continuing to ride on his tail), as they led him to the entrance.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, counting down from 20…

  1. 18\. 17. 16. 15. 14…



It wasn’t long before he felt wooden planks against his underbelly, and he opened his eyes to find they were passing by the merchant’s stand (currently closed, as he expected) and approaching the Inn. There were a few people still out, all who watched him, whispering amongst themselves…

It was the first time Swaine wished he didn’t have enhanced hearing, picking up their words of suspicion and alarm. There came a gasp, coming from the front of the Inn--- the Purrprioter was currently sweeping when she noticed them approach.

Fear. Surprise. Shock. Those were the emotions he could sense from her immediately, and he had the mind to back away and leave--- were it not for the two kids who were holding his hands, one of them giving him a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

“Hello, is the Governor still inside?” Oliver asked her. He was casual, maybe a little awkward due to her reaction, but keeping his cool; it made the thief feel like a burden.

“Er… h-he was preparing to return to his home, but… y-yes, I’ll go get him!” The Purrprioter quickly said before rushing in.

By this point people were coming outside, standing on the bridge or the deck across the water to get a glimpse of the naga. Children were clinging to their mother’s skirts, women were gasping and backing away, and men were giving him wary glances. He cringed in shame.

The Governor stepped out, pausing when he saw the naga. “Hm? Oh, it’s you again, travelers! …but what have you brought with you?” he asked, looking at Swaine in suspicion.

The thief cringed further at how he was addressed--- not as ‘who’, but ‘what’. _What am I? I’m the monster who has been terrorizing your village and nearly drowned a kid. I’m the freak who hides in the shadows because I know any second someone will kill me for my scales. I’m a rare beast, a bane to travelers and a living horror story. That’s what I am to you, aren’t I? That’s what I am to everyone!_ He thought with malice, keeping his eyes to the ground…

“His name happens to be Swaine.” Esther told the Mayor in introduction. “We saw him stealing from the peddler the other day, and we encountered him on the road on our way back from Al-Mamoon.”

“He was the one missing Restraint, sir. All he wants now is to travel with us to Autumnia; but we wanted to introduce him to you first,” Oliver replied.

The Governor rubbed his chin, observing Swaine. “Oh, yes… I have heard our merchant talk about you, and even heard stories. I had believed them to be folklore, but in my heart I could feel there was truth to them. You are the thieving creature who has terrorized those who passed through the wetlands, are you not?”

Swaine hung his head low. “Yes.” He muttered. Esther gave him a nudge, nodding at him to say more. “And… I apologize for the trouble I’ve caused. I’ll find a way to make it up to you… somehow.”

The Governor turned to his people; right now the entire village was out, everyone wanting to see the strange monster in their midst. “It is not I you should apologize to, and I do not quite know how one who had stolen from honest workers and frightened others can make up for his deeds.” He turned back to the thief. “…However, seeing how you have come to confess and seek forgiveness, there is no reason for condemnation. I only ask that you follow our laws, and steal from us no longer.”

The thief stared, blinking. That was it? He was getting let off that easy?! No, there had to be a catch…

“See, Swaine? We told you there was nothing to worry about,” Oliver told him.

“There is just one thing I must ask of you--- something that will prove that you will no longer be a bane to our community.” The Governor stated.

Swaine nodded. Here it comes…

…

…

…

He was expecting to be put in a cage for the night, to be guarded by some sentry, hell even put on a bloody leash!

But asking to wear a swimsuit? That was COMPLETELY different!

Swaine looked at himself, taking in his new orange open-shirt and the yellow sash around his waist. Oliver had put his clothes and guns inside his bottomless bag, the trio having changed into their swimsuits for the night as well.

Once the Governor was pleased with their change in attire, he officially welcomed the naga to Castaway Cove and allowed the group to turn in for the night. However, Swaine could still pick up nervous feelings, as if the village leader was hoping he made the right choice; there were still murmurs from the rest of the village, and he still felt anxious as they entered the hotel room.

“Are you still hungry?” Oliver asked him, breaking him from his thoughts.

“Huh? Um, yeah. I can just go out and hunt something later, though.” Swaine replied, looking out the window. Lately it was getting scarce for game, but perhaps he could try searching somewhere further from the village…

“Absolutely not,” Esther spoke up, hands on her hips. “We can get you something to eat--- it’s late at night, and the last thing we need is for you to spend hours tracking down animals just to fill your stomach!”

“Hours? As long as his belly is, we’d be waiting a whole week!” Drippy quipped.

“But the peddler’s stand is closed, and I doubt the Inn wants to stay up all night cooking up something,” Swaine tried to argue.

Oliver snapped his fingers. “That’s it!” he exclaimed, and he reached into his bottomless bag… pulling out the cauldron the thief had stolen before!

Swaine pulled back, watching as the wizard took the top off and smoke billowed out, and out came a large masculine figure…

…wearing a sleeping mask, night-cap, and hugging a teddy-bear. “Zzzz… No, mommy, I don’t want to go to school today…” he was snoring.

“Al-Khemi!” Oliver said, tapping him.

“Huh! Wuzzat…?!” The genie snapped awake and--- seeing present company--- quickly gasped. “Oh! Master! E-Excuse me!” He dove into the cauldron, coming back out quickly wearing a turban and presenting himself in a more dignified manner. “How may I be of service?”

“We need you to make something for Swaine,” The wizard motioned towards the naga. “He’s hungry, but we don’t have any food for him.”

The genie looked at Swaine curiously. “Hmm… so you wish for me to prepare something for this naga, you say. …He is not hypnotizing you into doing his bidding, is he?”

“I most certainly am not!” Swaine snapped while crossing his arms, quite offended.

“Is there anything you can make for him?” Esther asked the genie.

“Hmm… Satisfying a naga’s hunger is no easy task, master. In order to feed him, it would take… ah, lets see, if we total up your length, take in your estimated weight, carry the 2… hmm… 25 fishburgers, 48 cheeseburgers, 63 sandwiches, and 120 loaves of bread!” Al-Khemi deduced. “…Oh, with a milkshake on the side.”

“Wh---! I don’t eat _that_ much!” Swaine argued.

“Alright, I’ll hold the milkshake!”

Esther rubbed her chin. “Is there a specific diet nagas have? I know that a few creatures can only eat certain things.” She asked.

“I… don’t quite know.” Swaine admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve always just eaten what I could gather--- fruits, vegetables, meat, cheeses…”

“Hey, that’s it!” Drippy exclaimed. “Ollie-boy, ye can use yer ‘Secret Ingredient’ spell to help Al-Khemi whip something up! The way ye used it to make a giant wedge o’ cheese, why you could make a morsel big enough to keep ouer naga-friend here well-fed fer a month!”

“Huh? I thought I could only use it at the Milk Fountains,” Oliver replied.

“Ha ha, the lands provide plenty, young master! Why you could make something with just the water outside!” Al-Khemi answered. “And you also have plenty of alchemy ingredients--- with your spell and my technique, we’ll be able to create a fine dish!”

“It’s worth a try, Oliver. Plus, I was kind of hoping you’d get to use that spell again, hee hee!” Esther replied with a beaming smile.

“Okay, lets do it! Swaine, what are you hungry for?” Oliver asked, looking through his bag. “I have a lot of tender beef, bread, and rice…”

“Anything with those sounds good. But, nothing too sweet--- I can’t handle too much sugar. And just for future reference, I can’t handle alcohol at all.” Swaine told them.

“Do we look like we’re old enough to enter a tavern?” Esther remarked.

“We’ll be right back. C’mon, Al-Khemi!” Oliver exclaimed, grabbing his wand and heading out with the genie and Mister Drippy.

“Wait up, Master! It’s hard to keep up with a cauldroOOOON!” Al-Khemi exclaimed… falling down the stairs with a clang, boink, bam, boom and thud!

“(Jeepers! Are you alright?!)”

“(…oof… yes, but next time… summon me on the ground floor…)”

“(Oi, mun, if we have to carry ya back up WITH a giant slab o’ food, I’m gonna need a chiropractor!”) Drippy was grousing.

Esther giggled, before turning to Swaine; the naga could sense she was intrigued by him. “Quit staring, it’s rude.” He scoffed, coiling up with his back to her.

“I’m sorry. …You were in Al-Mamoon once, weren’t you? I remember seeing you by the oasis,” Esther told him.

Swaine nodded; he remembered well—he had heard music that lured him out of hiding, and a few seconds later there came screaming. “Yeah… I’m sorry I scared you.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Esther sat down on the bed across from him. “I was Heartbroken. Shadar had taken my Courage and I was a mess of nerves. If I wasn’t, I would have been approaching you in curiosity to learn more about you. You’re a very fascinating creature!”

Swaine gave her a cold look. “Don’t say that! It’s bad enough people gawk at me like I’m some horrifying beast, I don’t need to have a verbal reminder!”

She cringed a bit, and the thief could sense that the bard was regretful about her choice of words. “I wasn’t trying to offend you.”

“Yes, well, watch your words next time. I’m not exactly the kind of man who accepts insincere compliments,”

“I wasn’t being insincere! And excuse me for finding it thrilling to meet a naga for the first time!”

“First? Try _only_. In case you failed to realize it, there aren’t any more half-snaked people around here!” He crossed his arms and firmly lied down in his coils, his back to her.

Esther cocked her head. “You mean… you’re the only one? Surely that can’t be true!”

The thief sighed, shutting his eyes; he remembered the tale his mother told him, how there _used to be_ more nagas, but the last one turned human and the species was now extinct. He was an endangered individual; unless someone in Autumnia happened to share the same problem…

Suddenly he thought about Marcassin. Was it possible that his little brother carried this burden as well? Was that why things were going wrong back home?

Looking out the window, Swaine let out a heavy sigh. _I guess I’ll find out soon enough…_ he thought.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Esther watched the naga, the room growing silent. When he didn’t respond to her claim, she felt ashamed; Swaine was the only naga she had ever seen… and not only did he feel alone, but he also showed a hint of self-hatred. No wonder he didn’t want to come into the village! Having to deal with people watching him in a mix of shock and curiosity probably hurt his ego.

When the Governor regarded him as a ‘what’, the bard felt a bit agitated. If Swaine were a ‘what’, they would have needed a Nature’s Tongue spell to talk to him! But the moment he spoke to them, it was clear that he wasn’t some wild animal, but partly human! …Albeit a cocky one, but still human enough!

Of course, she felt like a hypocrite now, having referred to him as a ‘fascinating creature’--- having let her enthusiasm for different animals take over. Chances are, had she not been heartbroken, she would have been bombarding the thief with several questions back at the oasis!

Seeing how perturbed he was at the moment, her urge to inquire more about nagas had to be put out of mind. He wouldn’t tell her anything anyway, she believed, as stubborn as he appeared.

“I’m sorry,” Esther told him, doing her best to make sure he knew she was sincere. She could tell he didn’t want to speak, so she walked towards the door. “I’ll go see if Oliver needs help,”

She had pulled open the door, just in time to see Oliver and Drippy carrying the BIGGEST bowl of beef and rice she had ever seen! It was practically the size of Al-Khemi’s cauldron!

Speaking of which, she wondered where the genie was, which was solved as Oliver was looking over his shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t need help, Al-Khemi?” he called.

“Don’t worry! *huff huff*” Came the genie’s voice, followed by a *clump!* “It’s just…” *clump* “Twenty steps!” *clump* “I’ll be up there…” *clump* “In no time!” *clump--- thud, bang, bonk!* “Oof! Augh! Ouch!”

“Is everything alright??” Esther asked, stepping out.

“W-We got the food made! But Al-Khemi needs help,” Oliver said as he and Drippy carried the bowl over. “This bowl was really heavy--- Mister Drippy and I both had to carry it,”

“Too right, mun--- carried enough heavy stuff on my own already!” Drippy grunted.

“Here, let me---“ Esther offered, reaching to carry the bowl…

A long, scaly tail reached out; feeling around the bowl, it looped around it and lifted it out of their grasp, carrying it inside with ease! The trio looked inside, watching as Swaine set the bowl down in his coils, grabbing the fork that was sticking up inside it. “This looks good, thank you.” He told them, before beginning to eat.

They watched, a bit disgusted but astounded--- Swaine ate like a man who had been starved for weeks, but with the desperation of a gruff who had just caught its prey! Not since giving Queen Lowlah a giant wedge of cheese had they seen someone eat so desperately!

“…Master?” *clump* “Is everything okay up there?”

Reminded that the genie was still trying to climb up the stairs, the group turned away and looked down the stairs. “Yeah, he really likes it!” Oliver told him with a smile, walking down to him.

“Likes? Crikey, he’d probably want to marry it!” Drippy muttered in remark.

“He must have been hungrier than we thought--- either that or he just doesn’t have table manners,” Esther commented as well.

“I can hear you!” Swaine called from the room.

“Eep!” The bard and the fairy both gasped.

“I can carry you up the stairs, Al-Khemi. Thanks again for your help!” Oliver told the genie.

“It was no trouble at all, young master! Do not hestitate to call upon my services whenever you need!” Al-Khemi answered, sinking back down into the cauldron and letting Oliver carry it back up the stairs, Esther assisting him.

Once they got back into the room, they found that the bowl was [already!] empty, Swaine letting out a satisfied sigh, stifling a belch. “Was that enough?” Oliver asked him.

“Yeah, I should be good for another 30 days,” Swaine answered, giving him a grateful smile before stretching his arms. “Well… shall we get some sleep?”

“Now you’re speaking my language, mun. I’m knackered after carrying that bowl up the stairs!” Drippy yawned, walking over to one of the two beds and jumping onto the pillow.

Oliver climbed in, lying down next to the fairy; Esther began to lay down in her bed, pausing to look at the thief coiled up on the ground. “You’re not going to sleep on the floor, are you?” She asked him.

“Heh, unless we find a place with bigger beds...” Swaine began to remark, but cleared his throat. “I’ll be alright. I’ve slept in caves and up in trees, so this is definitely an upgrade for me. You lot get some rest, we’ve got a long trip ahead of us tomorrow.”

Esther gave a short sigh, before lying down under the covers. She looked back once at the thief, before closing her eyes and drifting off.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Swaine didn’t go asleep just head. He was too busy reading the emotions of the others.

Esther, first of all, still felt a bit suspicious of him--- but perhaps more because she deemed him a shady character (which he couldn’t exactly fault her for) than being a naga. Not only that, but she felt sympathetic towards him, which he didn’t exactly welcome. Him in a bed? Not unless he somehow became fully human.

Drippy had fallen asleep immediately. Either the fairy was indifferent of the situation or too trusting, he didn’t exactly deem the naga much of a threat. It was more like he wanted to crack jokes about it more than anything else!

As for Oliver, the young wizard didn’t seem to be in a serene slumber yet. From the way his heart was racing, Swaine could tell the boy felt a bit excited, perhaps trying to fall asleep. It occurred to him that they never got around to Oliver telling him about being from ‘another world’. If that were the case, then the lad probably had many restless nights, being somewhere unfamiliar to where he had come from.

The thief closed his eyes, telling himself he would need sleep too. He hoped he would get his full ten hours, but if not he could probably sleep during the voyage.

…

…

…

Sunrise came in a matter of hours, and Swaine had to look at the fairy sitting on the bed to be convinced it wasn’t all a dream. “Morning, mun! Sleep good?” Drippy asked.

“Yeah, been a while since I’ve managed to sleep through a whole night,” Swaine answered, looking around the room. “Where are the other two?”

“They went down to buy some supplies; ye were still fast asleep, like, ‘n’ they figured while we waited for ya to get up ‘n’ at ‘em, they could stock up! Wizards need a lot o’ coffee to keep their magicka up, y’know. Told ‘em I’d wait up here with ya, let ‘em know when you were ready to go. Well! You’re awake, so lets go down ‘n’ catch up with ‘em, shall we?”

As Drippy handed him to change into his normal shirt and jacket, Swaine looked out the window. It was daylight, meaning people would be out and about… people who would stop and stare at him, probably avoid him…

The fairy gave him a nudge. “Oi. Don’t worry ‘bout the public. You’re with us now, Snake-Butt.”

The thief scoffed, slithering towards the door. “…Keep calling me ‘snake butt’, and you’ll be my next snack, Lantern-Face.”

“Wh---! Oi, ye got more cheek than tail, ye do!”

Swaine smirked at the fairy’s mild agitation, and continued his way out; slithering down the steps and out of the hotel, he spotted Oliver and Esther talking to the merchant. Hesitantly, he slithered over--- might as well get another apology out of the way while he was still in the village. The peddler looked up at him in mild shock.

“So it’s true!” the seller exclaimed. “I have only seen glimpses of your face, but you are the thief that has stolen my wares!”

“Yes, yes, and I’m willing to pay you back as soon as I---“ Swaine began to sigh, wanting to avoid the backlash.

“I want to thank you!”

The naga blinked. “What?”

“Because of your petty theft, you helped rid me of that cauldron! I did not realize until this boy opened it that it held a genie, but until then I heard nothing but strange sounds coming from it; I lost sleep, having nightmares that it held wicked spirits, and was worried that it would scare off all my customers.”

“Um… you’re welcome. No, wait, I stole from you! I’m a thief! You should be pissed!”

The man nodded. “Yes, but your debt has been paid off, and seeing that you have apologized I have no reason to bare any ill-will. Just pay for what you want from now on,”

Swaine paused. “Paid off…?” He looked at Oliver and Esther.

“It wasn’t really much.” Oliver told him. “We do a lot of bounties and help a few people, so we had plenty of guilders,”

“And he was so pleased by our generosity that he gave us some free stones for our familiars!” Esther handed him one of the Stones. “You can give one to Gunther when he’s ready to metamorphose.”

Swaine looked at the stone, seeing his reflection. These kids had only known him one day, and had paid off a debt he owed to one of his victims. “You guys really didn’t have to do that. It was my mistake, I should make up for it!”

“You’re helping us find the next Great Sage. It’s the least we can do,” Oliver assured him.

The naga let out a sigh, but had to smile, pocketing the stone. “Thanks--- what the?”

Something was tugging his tail, and he looked over… seeing two kids messing with it! One of them was wrapping the tip of it around the other’s ankle! “Hmm… I think so… yes, now I remember! You’re right!” one of them was saying.

“H-Hey!” Swaine pulled his tail away. “What gives?! Didn’t your mothers teach you to keep your hands to yourselves?”

The kids approached him. “We were just investigating. My friend thinks you’re the one who pulled me into the water!” the first one said.

Swaine cringed. This was it. Once the purrloiner was out of the bottomless bag, the trio would refuse to let him accompany them on their voyage. “I… I didn’t mean…”

“I knew it! See, I told ya!” The second child exclaimed.

The first looked up at Swaine. “Were you trying to hunt me?”

“N-No, I only hunt animals!” He tried to think back. He knew he had pulled the child under during one of his impulses, but he couldn’t really see himself devouring someone! “I don’t know why I did it… I’m sorry.”

He could sense concern from Oliver and Esther. They were giving him solemn looks. Drippy was watching him, arms crossed.

“It’s okay,” the first child said, patting his hand. “I have an older brother who always throws me in the water and dunks me, and he never apologizes unless our mom tells him to. Plus you let me go, and I’m not hurt.”

“Yeah, and now our friends finally believe my story about you! Hey, how long can you hold your breath underwater??” The second asked.

Swaine blinked. These kids were acting as if he only took their ice-cream! (which he probably did). “But… I-I almost drowned you!”

“Yeah, well, I learned how to hold my breath underwater for a _long time_ because of my brother. Plus, mommy said we should always forgive people immediately, especially when they apologize.”

The thief put his hand in his pocket, rubbing the back of his neck. He was glad these people were letting him off so easy, but at the same time he felt he didn’t really deserve it. These kids’ parents should be telling them to stay away from him, and the peddler should be cursing his name! He wasn’t just a common thief--- he was a monster, and he had acted like one…

His fingers grazed something, and he pulled out a guilder. Turning to the kids, he handed it to the first. “Here… you dropped this in the water. Now, uh, run along now.”

“Cool! My lucky guilder! Thank you!” The child exclaimed, and the kids ran off.

Swaine gave a half-glance at the others. “…d-don’t look at me.”

Esther opened her mouth to say something, but Oliver approached him and patted him on the back. “C’mon, we have a ship to catch.” He assured him.

Swaine slithered with them, moving down the stairs to the lower decks. He could hear people whispering about him, still. _Just get on the ship, get to Autumnia, and you’ll never have to worry about this again._ He tried to convince himself, already having ideas to just hide out in the hull until they reached their destination.

“Captain Sindbah! We’re back, and we have our letter of passage!” Oliver called, handing the aforementioned sailor the pass.

“Yes, we’re finally ready to use your ship!” Esther added with a proud smirk.

“Hmm… this be the queen’s signature alright,” Sindbah stated, looking at the group. “…But I be afraid I can’t let ye board The Sea Cow,”

“Whaaat?! Are ya flippin’ kidding me, mun!?” Drippy hollered. “We go clear across th’ lands ‘n’ back to get that passage, only fer ya to turn us down again? Knickers--! Is the rudder flippin’ broken or something?!”

“Th’ ship be fine! An’ with th’ passage in hand, ye’d be fit to sail aboard with us!” Sindbah then gave a dark look. “But I ain’t sailing anywhere with the likes of THAT snake-bellied beast!”


	8. Lucky Charm

“E-Excuse me?” Oliver questioned, as if he heard the sailor wrong. Swaine only grimaced; he should have known this wasn’t going to work. Chances are, he would have to sneak onto the ship and hide the whole voyage!

“Ye heard me, lad! I don’t want that snake-bellied scoundrel aboard The Sea Cow! Why, we get enough foul beasts trying to stowaway during voyages, we aren’t about to give a free ride to one!” Sindbah sneered. “Especially one that’s been terrorizing a peaceful village such as this!”

“He won’t be any trouble, honest! He’s not a monster. And he promised to help us,”

“Arr, ye’d be a fool to take th’ word of a snake, boy…”

“Hey! Stop talking about him like he’s another wild animal! He’s still part human!” Esther scolded; she had called the thief a ‘fascinating creature’ last night of course, but at least she hadn’t been speaking out of prejudice!

“Aye, but it be the snake-part ye should be wary about. Ye don’t know what kind of wicked charm he’d be capable of!”

“That’s not true---!”

“Don’t bother, guys… I’ll just have to find another way to Autumnia,” Swaine replied, an idea coming to mind. “I mean, it’s _their_ loss…”

“Loss? How do you mean?” Oliver asked.

“Aye, what would we be losing, outside of restless nights?” Sindbah scoffed.

Swaine shrugged. “Oh, not much… just an excellent good-luck charm. But if you want to sail across the seas without one, go right ahead,” He turned, preparing to slither off.

“Hold it! What do ye mean by ‘good luck charm’?”

The thief smirked; he was thankful he had been around sailors enough to know they buy plenty of superstitions… even if they were completely made up. “You mean you never heard? Nagas were once considered priceless good-luck charms by sailors; some would carry necklaces of their fangs or belts made from their scales just to have a slim chance of a safe voyage! But those who were really successful allowed one to ride on their ship.”

“Oh, aye, I remember that!” Drippy added, going along with the make-believe tale. “Many armadas managed to win wars because they had a naga or two in their fleet. But since none have been around, sailors have been having a tough time sailing! Ain’t that right, mun?”

“Hmm… it does sound like a coincidence that we are given reason to sail again, just as ye kids show up with a naga… But how am I so sure ye aren’t just pulling me leg?” Sindbah questioned, rubbing his chin in suspicion.

“I’ll prove it to you--- let me sail with you, and we’ll see how well the voyage will go. I can help fend off creatures who try to stowaway, if it helps my case.” Swaine persuaded.

“Please, Captain Sindbah, sir. It would be a really huge favor if you’d let him come with us!” Oliver asked.

“Yeah… and besides, do you really want to risk passing up such a rare good-luck charm?” Esther added.

Sindbah looked at them unconvinced at first, then let out a hearty laugh. “Har har, ye lot really know how to make a bargain! Alright, seeing as ye be so desperate for a voyage that ye’re willing to sail with a snake, and seeing as me men ‘n’ I have been yearning for the feel of the sea-breeze on our faces… all I can say is welcome aboard the Sea Cow! We set sail immediately!”

The group beamed, getting on the ship. Sindbah shouted the orders to raise the anchor and set the sails, the vessel moving out with the current.

Oliver and Esther ran over to the railing, looking over and letting out excited yells as The Sea Cow sailed out onto the open sea.

Swaine rubbed the back of his neck; it had been so long since he had been on a ship. “This should be fun…” he said to himself, a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

A hand rested on his shoulder, and he looked at Sindbah. “One word o’ warning, snake… any tricks, ‘n’ we’ll string ye up as a figurehead. Then we’ll see how ‘lucky’ ye’d be,” the sailor told him a low tone, before walking off.

The thief slithered off to the side, close to the others. Sensing the thrilled emotions they were feeling, he decided to focus on the ride and not focus on the sailor’s cold words for the time being.

…

It wasn’t long before they had their first encounter with the beasts of the sea.

They were stronger than the ones in the field, that much was certain. A beachhead, sparkee, and splisher were quick to outmaneuver him, but thankfully he had a pistol and a familiar to catch them off guard.

His only problem was the tail; he had to focus and make sure he wasn’t tripping Oliver nor Esther during the battle, or accidentally swinging it and knocking them over! He was so used to fighting on his own that he had to learn to pay mind to the others around him.

After two or three more battles, he managed to get the hang of his movements.

That is, until Esther played her harp.

He went into a daze, ending up struck by a zomboatswain, snapped back into his senses long enough to grab the rotter with his tail and fling it overboard, until the tune caught his ear again and everything went hazy.

Just as quick as it started it stopped; he looked over at Esther, giving her a glare. “What was that?!” he demanded.

“Oh! Swaine, I’m sorry--- I was taming a familiar, I forgot my music affects you too!” Esther apologized.

“Geez, do I have to stick cotton in my ears, or don’t you have a better way to tame creatures?”

“Oh, don’t be so bitter. It was an accident!”

“Well, next time give me a warning! I don’t fancy getting distracted and skewered,”

“Then I guess you don’t want me to heal your wound?” Esther pointed at the gash in his tail where he had been struck. “I play my harp to heal injuries too, you know.”

“It’s just a scratch, I’ll be alright…”

“Here,” Oliver stated, and cast Healing Touch on the wound. “That way you don’t have to worry about Esther’s songs. And we’ll give you a heads up when she begins to play, that way you don’t get distracted.”

Swaine and Esther looked at each other, before having a silent compromise.

Another group of creatures climbed aboard the ship, and another battle took place.

…

After fighting half a day, the small band of travelers finally got a break, as the lookout claimed the coast was clear of any prowling beasts; and any who came near quickly shied away, sensing a stronger presence on board.

“*hurk!* *blaarrrgh!*”

…Which was a good thing, as Oliver ended up getting seasick!

“Are you alright, Oliver?” Esther asked him as the young wizard stood over the railing, his face green.

“S-Sorry… I’ve never sailed on a boat before,” Oliver admitted.

“Neither have I, but I’m…” Esther paused, suddenly feeling how the ship bobbed up and down… up and down… and Oliver looking sick right beside her wasn’t helping. “I’m… I’m gonna be sick…”

Swaine slithered over, pointing out. “Focus on the horizon. That’s a trick that helps with seasickness,” he told them. “If you still feel ill, go down to the galley and get some salted beef and crackers, those help settle the stomach.”

“Golly, have you been seasick before?” Oliver asked him.

“Me? No, I’ve just heard things that’s all.” It was a lie, as when he first got on a ship he felt so sick he could hardly stand, until a couple sailors helped him get his sea-legs. “Now, go on, down to the galley. I’ll be up here,”

The wizard and bard walked down to the galley, the fairy accompanying them claiming he could do with a snack himself.

Swaine turned his attention to the coast, letting out a sigh. They would be in Autumnia by sundown, give or take a couple of hours. Currently he was trying to figure out how exactly he would get into the palace; he remembered that the grunts were very strict--- they would shoot first and ask questions later.

He recalled the boiler room; when they were kids, he and Marcassin would play hide-and-seek, using the manholes to travel underground to keep from being caught; often, he would use them to sneak around the palace past his bedtime to go down to the workshop.

Unless the palace had undergone some heavy renovations in the last 15 years, chances are he could use those to his advantage. He recalled a couple that led to manholes out into the main streets, and there was one ventilation duct located outside the walls. He had first climbed through it when he was only 10, having snuck out through it a number of times; however it also allowed creatures to stray into the kingdom, and soon the grate was welded shut. No matter, he would find a way to break it open.

He had to smile to himself. _Man, I got into quite the fine mess when I was a kid, didn’t I?_ the naga thought as he reflected on his childhood. He ended up recalling the first time he and Marcassin decided to go practice magic in an old mine shaft…

Swaine shook his head. No, this wasn’t a chance to walk down memory lane. He was heading to Autumnia, finding out what was going on with his brother, resolve the issue, and then he would be on his way.

There came footsteps, as the trio of companions returned. “Feeling better?” Swaine asked them.

“Yeah. Hey, look at those island chains!” Oliver exclaimed, pointing to the north-east. “Do you think anyone lives there?”

“Har har, don’t be so sure, lad! Those islands be too small for settlement, and their only purpose is to serve as territory for wild beasts ‘n’ exploration for curious sailors! How about we anchor there for an or so, let ye landlubbers take a break off the deck?” Sindbah suggested. “Since ye be new to sailing, it would do you good to alternate between land ‘n’ sea--- taking on too much o’ the tide at once on yer first voyage will only keep yer face green ‘n’ yer stomach queasy,”

“I would like to see what kind of familiars we could tame there,” Esther said thoughtfully.

“There be no shame in taking a pit-stop; a bit o’ exploring may prove worthwhile, too!” Drippy exclaimed.

Oliver turned to the naga. “Would you like to stop too, Swaine?” he asked.

Swaine rubbed his arm; he really wanted to get to Autumnia as soon as possible, but if he showed too much desperation the whole group would get suspicious. “Sure, why not?” he replied.

Anchoring the ship and going down the gangplank, the small group explored the small islands. There were quite a few creatures there, rearing for a fight; now that there was a wider battlefield, Swaine could use his full naga capabilities, taking out beasts within a span of five minutes, if not alerting the team to an ambush when he could sense something prowling on them.

Esther gave him a heads up before using her harp, as promised; she would let out a whistle to get his attention, holding up her harp; he would then plug his ears, watching as she tamed a baatender. He gave her a nod, and resumed the fight amongst the untamed beasts.

During their exploration they came across a crab; Oliver explained that he used Nature’s Tongue to speak to another one in Castaway Cove, and it had been worried about its friend. After the crab assured them that he was doing great and asked them to pass the message back on to his friend next time they were in the seaside village, they made their way back to the ship.

Swaine looked, seeing Oliver reading a journal of sorts. “It helps me keep track of all the people who need help, as well as bounties.” The young wizard explained to him. “Every time I go to Swift Solutions, it’s filled with new errands and bounties,”

“Isn’t that a bit much to do? I mean, you’re already trying to _save the world_. If you take on too much, you’ll wear yourself out,” He folded his arms behind his head. “Plus, I’m sure there’s still a few people out there who can take the call. It doesn’t have to be just you,”

“Well…” Oliver slowed down his pace, looking at his wand. “I don’t think that’s true. A lot of these problems require someone with a lot of strength--- and magic. Mister Drippy said it’s grown scarce since Shadar started terrorizing people, and a lot of times the requests involve restoring a missing piece of heart. And with the bounties, the monsters tend to be too strong for just anyone to fight. Plus, you shouldn’t ignore someone who needs help, right?”

The naga considered this, and had to chuckle. “You really are the Pure-Hearted One, aren’t you? …By the way, you said something about coming from another world. What’s all that about?”

“It’s a long story. You see…”

“All aboard!” Sindbah called from the ship. “We gotta set sail, lad! Dark clouds are startin’ to form on the horizon--- methinks we’ll be in fer some foul weather tonight! Best to put in as much distance as possible for it hits!”

Oliver looked up at the sailor, astonished. “Golly, are you sure you want to sail in a storm, Captain Sindbah?”

“Har har, no need to be worried lad! Might just be a bit o’ thunder ‘n’ lightening, nothing we’s can’t handle… Plus, if yer snake-bellied friend be as lucky as he claims, we’ll have no trouble at all!”

“Um, alright…”

Climbing back on board, the Sea Cow took sail across the seas; the skies were already starting to sail dark within the hour, but thankfully Swaine could make out the familiar shores of Autumnia in the distance. He estimated they would be there in about two hours, and the only trouble would be a little rain…

Something stirred in his senses though. It felt as if an alarm was going off in his head--- something was wrong. Something dangerous was nearby…

Esther was the first to notice the alert expression on his face. “Swaine? What is it?” she asked.

“Brace yourselves—something’s here,” The naga warned.

In a flash of lightning, there came a series of gasps. The group looked up, seeing a figure hovering above the ship. With long red hair draping over their hooded face, a horn-crafted collar around their neck, and holding a staff, the being let off an aura of immeasurable power and sheer evil.

The naga tensed. He recognized this feeling; he had felt this way the night he first lacked restraint. “Who the hell is that?!” he demanded.

“It’s Shadar!” Drippy cried.

“He’s back again?!” Esther questioned.

“You’ve come a long way, boy…” Shadar spoke, his tone low and ominous; he faced the naga. “And it appears you’ve acquired some interesting company. It has been years since I’ve seen a naga. How does it feel, being the only remaining proof that the race once existed, thief?”

Swaine glowered; a hiss rose out of his throat as he bared his fangs. Out of instinct, he whipped around in front of the trio, his eyes aglow. He wasn’t going to dignify this bastard with a verbal response.

“Shadar! Where is she?! Where’s Alicia?!” Oliver demanded, stepping up beside the naga and holding his ground.

“So you still seek the truth… If you wish to face me, let me see how strong you have become!” The Dark Djinn said, and rushed forth.

Swaine lunged, wrapping his coils around the fiend, but their enemy disappeared. The thief turned, seeing he had reappeared on the starboard bough, right near Esther! The bard turned around and dodged, summoning her strongest familiar to fight; Oliver cast a Fireball spell, summoning a thumblemur to assist in the fight.

Calling on Gunther, the naga drew his pistol and focused on the battle. All that was going through his mind was _protect the kids protect the kids protect the kids_ as he fired and commanded his hurley to use Sling Stone against Shadar.

The Dark Djinn paused a beat, summoning a powerful spell known as _Bleak Midwinter._ Acting fast, Swaine shot forth in front of Oliver and Esther, wrapping his tail around them and shielding them from the blow, absorbing most of the damage. Yikes! It was freezing! He felt like he was going to pass out…

He heard a melody, going into a brief haze for a few seconds, but once he snapped out of it he found he regained a bit of health. He looked at Esther, who put away her harp and summoned another familiar; he summoned back Gunther, finding his familiar was starting to wear out already.

After five mintues of dodging, attacks that did minimal damage, and _trying damn hard to catch the damn djinn off-guard so he could strangle him!,_ Shadar floated back up into the air, laughing at their attempts. “Is that the extent of your power?” he taunted.

“Shadar!” Oliver yelled in defiance. The young wizard wasn’t ready to give up!

“Let us see how much you can truly endure, child.” With that, Shadar disappeared.. and beyond the clouds, a cyclone appeared--- and in the middle of it was a giant eye!

“What the bloody hell is that?!” Swaine shouted, as the storm picked up and the ship started to rock violently.

“It be the Eye o’ the Storm! No sailor has been able to survive it! If it looks this way, we’d be doomed!” Sindbah cried.

“It’s looking this way right now!”

The wind blew harshly, sailors rushing to tie down their lifelines, while the group struggled to get a grip. Esther and Swaine clung to the mast, the fairy hanging on to the thief’s head for dear life, and Oliver was right by the railing trying to hold on…

As the Eye of the Storm stared at them, the waves around the ship seemed to splash higher and higher; at one point, the ship tilted completely over! Oliver screamed as his hands slipped off the railing and he fell into the ocean!

“OLIVER!” Esther screamed; she rushed over to the railing, but two sailors held her back.

“Don’t go diving in, ye’ll be swept out to sea!” one of them warned her, while the other tied a lifeline around her waist securely.

“We have to do _something_ …!”

“Leave it to me!” Swaine called, pulling Drippy off his head and shoving the fairy into the bard’s arms, and within a heartbeat he shot over the railing and dove into the waves.

Under the water was a lot calmer than the surface; his night-vision helped him scan the dark depths, and he caught sight of the young wizard sinking below, unconscious. Swimming downward, the naga quickly wrapped his arms around him, and swam back towards the surface. He took a deep breath of air.

He looked around, seeing that a giant wave was sweeping the ship clear off-course! Pulling the wizard on to his back, he swam towards the vessel; if he could dive under water, he could reach it in no time, but he didn’t want to risk filling the boy’s lungs with water.

“Oi! Snake-Butt!” came Drippy’s shout, and he could make out the glow of his lantern beyond the storm. The fairy was tossing something to him--- a life saver! “Grab on!”

Swaine managed to reached the life saver, preparing to hook it around Oliver.

There came a loud rumble, and everyone looked over in time to see a tidal wave so tall it practically reached the clouds! The Eye of the Storm was shining right down on the wizard. Swaine’s instincts went haywire, knowing how great the impact would be and the fact that it would be impossible to survive!

The only thing he could do was hold Oliver tight...

…

There came a glow in the sky; the naga looked up, seeing that the Eye of the Storm suddenly had a sleepy look to it and began to close; the tidal wave then shrunk down, a mighty _whoosh!_ of waves pushing them and the ship with great force across the ocean! They went underwater a few times, but the thief managed to hang on tight to both the life saver and wizard.

When he resurfaced the fifth time, he caught sight of an island… and the ship ended up hitting a few rocks as it was washed against the coast! Swaine let go of Oliver for a second, if only to wrap his tail around the boy’s abdomen and hold him high, keeping him from hitting the reef next, the naga using himself as a shield as the waves slammed him across the rocks, making sure to block Oliver from the damage. Once he felt solid ground, he pulled the boy towards him and carried him onto the beach.

“Oliver…? Oliver! Dammit…” Swaine panicked, and began pushing on the boy’s abdomen, flushing the water out of his system. He was relieved when he heard coughing, and the young wizard hacked out the water from his lungs and took a deep breath. “Speak to me! Are you okay?!”

“M-Mom…” the wizard groaned. There was a bruise on his head--- he must have smacked it on something after he had fallen overboard.

The thief coiled around him, having the boy sit up. He looked towards the ship; he felt torn between going over and making sure the others had survived the wreck, or staying by the wizard; he scanned the beach, sensing some other creatures were prowling the area, so he made the decision to remain at Oliver’s side so that none dared lay a hand on him.

After a minute, the wizard stirred. “Oliver, can you speak?” Swaine asked him, rubbing his back.

“Swaine?” Oliver groaned, opening his eyes; his vision was blurry for a moment, but he managed to make out a pair of glowing green eyes looking at him. “What happened…?”

“You fell overboard; the ship ended up crashing on this island… we’re way off course,” Swaine sighed, but shook his head and kept his attention on the wizard. “Are you okay? Does anything feel broken?”

“No… my head hurts…” The boy looked around. “Where are the others? …Where’s Pea?”

“The others are still on the ship--- I’m hoping they survived. But what’s this about a pea?”

“She’s this girl… N-Never mind, we should go and make sure everyone is okay,” Oliver stood up, his legs a bit wobbly but he managed to steady himself; the naga stayed at his side with every step, keeping alert for any beasts that may try to ambush them.

It was nearing dawn by the time they reached the ship, the sailors climbing out and salvaging any supplies that survived the wreck; Esther and Drippy came running forth. “Swaine! Oliver! Oh thank goodness…” the bard gasped, running forth and hugging the wizard. “I was so worried…”

“Is everyone okay?” Oliver asked as he pulled out of the hug and walked over to the captain.

“Aye, it be a miracle lad. It’s rare for a vessel to survive th’ Eye o’ th’ Storm! We thought we’d be plunged to the bottom o’ the sea… ‘n’ all of a sudden it disappeared!” Sindbah exclaimed.

“Disappeared? (I wonder if Pea had something to do with it),” Oliver wondered to himself.

“Who’s this Pea he keeps bringing up?” Swaine asked Esther.

“She’s a friend from his world… at least, I think so. We’ve never seen her.” Esther replied with a shrug.

“What about the ship, sir?” Oliver asked.

“It be too dark to tell, lad. I’ve got me men surveying the damage now; for now, I suggest ye lot rest.” Sindbah ordered. “Just keep close to the ship, so no prowling beasts try to keelhaul ye in yer sleep,”

“Yes, Captain.”

…

Managing to build a fire, the group changed into some dry clothes; having nothing else but their Castaway Cove gear to wear, they were thankful that there were some dry blankets to be found on the ship.

Swaine coiled around the two teens and fairy, keeping close to the fire; they were in a tropical climate, that much he could tell, but the sea-breeze added a chill to the night, giving him reason to stay close to the group and add some body-heat to ensure they wouldn’t catch any colds. No one complained or made any comments, whether because they were too exhausted from the turmoil or were grateful he was willing to work as a scaly pillow for them to rest upon.

Two hours after the trio drifted to sleep, Swaine picked up the sound of footsteps and saw Sindbah walking over. “I apologize fer me judgment of ye earlier, sn--- Swaine.” The captain told him, clearing his throat. “It be clear it is lucky we brought ye aboard with us,”

Swaine chuckled softly. “To be honest, Captain, I just made that up to get a ride. I had nothing to do with us surviving the Eye of the Storm,”

“Aye, I knew ye were lyin’ through yer teeth about bein’ a good luck charm,”

“Huh?”

“Aye! We sailors are known fer making tall tales, mate--- did ye think I could be fooled so easily? No, I had to give in because those kids with ye were hellbent on taking ye along! Since they were th’ only ones who had a letter o’ passage from th’ queen to sail, ‘n’ since her majesty would have our heads if she found out we were denying a voyage against her signature, I had no choice but to oblige!

“No, Swaine…” the sailor continued, kneeling down and looking at the group. “It be lucky we let ye aboard; I saw how ye were quick to defend this lot when the Dark Djinn showed his ugly face, ‘n’ ye didn’t hesitate to dive in after this lad when he fell overboard. Had ye not been with us… well, this lad would have been a goner.”

Swaine looked at the group, his coils tightening around them in a gentle manner. The thought of losing them made him uneasy.

“I was wrong about ye, Swaine.” Sindbah finished, standing up. “Ye’d be as human as th’ rest of us. …Let’s hope th’ rest of this journey goes smoothly, aye?”

“Heh, that’s a lot of hope.” Swaine answered; he kept his eyes on the group.

It was doubtable that, after what they’ve faced, the trio would be able to handle the rough trials the world would throw at them. And with that damn djinn on their trail, causing trouble wherever they would go…

The thief would have to make sure they were better prepared, next time.


	9. Shipwrecked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I forgot about this story, didn't you? ...Well, you're right. I have so much to catch up on >_<

The sun had risen high above the horizon by the time the group stirred awake. Swaine let out a yawn, stretching his (human) back before slowly unfurling himself from Oliver and Esther as the two kids sat up and rubbed the sleep from their eyes.

The campfire had gone out, though with the warm sun shining bright it had done its job keeping everyone warm, as well as helping dry their clothes. Taking turns going behind a large rock, Oliver and Esther changed into their travelling attire; Swaine, thankfully, only had to put on his shirt and jacket. It was then he noticed the absence of Drippy’s suit, though guessed that the wind might have caught it and the fairy ended up chasing it down the beach, or perhaps decided to change in the complete privacy of the ship’s quarters.

As for the ship itself…

“Blimey, look at the size of that hole!” The naga gasped, seeing the damage before his companions. The sailors were nowhere around, only Sindbah standing out front.

“Ahoy, mates! Glad to see ye awake ‘n’ well!” The captain greeted, though frowned as he turned back to his ship. “Can’t say the same fer The Sea Cow,”

“How bad are the damages, sir?” Oliver asked.

“From what the men ‘n’ I could find, it be a hellish repair job to undertake. It will be a week before we get our vessel ready to sail again!”

“A week? But… we have to get to Autumnia immediately!” Swaine replied; the idea of being on a forced detour stirred something in his senses. His brother was in trouble, and the naga himself was stuck on an island who-knows-where, and he had to fight the impulse to jump into the sea and swim the whole way!

Esther looked at him, taking note of his anxious tone and his controlled body stance. “Swaine, it’s only for a week. We all want to get there as soon as possible, but it’s no use fretting about it. The best we can do is help out in any way we can,”

The naga took a deep breath. “Right… right.” He looked at the ship; outside of his snake prowess, he had a knack for construction and weapon assembly, perhaps his craftsmanship could help speed things along. “Just tell us what we need to do, Captain.”

“Har har, I admire yer services, but me crew ‘n’ I will handle the repairs. But seeing as we had lost a few supplies during the wreck, ye lot can assist by gathering us some provisions--- if this island has anything edible, that is.”

“Yes, sir! We’ll look around.” Oliver affirmed with a nod. He looked at Swaine. “You don’t mind, do you Swaine?”

The thief looked at the wizard, feeling another stirring: _protect, teach, hunt, scout._ He could stay behind and help with the repairs, but he felt driven to stick close to the young teens. This was an uncharted island as far as they knew, and he’d be damned if he just let them wander around by themselves… especially since he knew there were a few things they had to learn.

“I was thinking of doing a bit of sunbathing, but a bit of exploration may prove more useful.” Swaine stated with a shrug.

“Well, if we get moving now, maybe you’ll have a chance to lounge on the beach when we get back.” Esther assured him, her tone somewhat sarcastic.

Oliver looked around. “Hold on… where’s Mister Drippy?” he asked.

The naga looked around; the fairy was down by the shore, he now noticed, just looking out at the open sea. “There he is… how long as he been sitting there?” the thief questioned.

They approached the fairy; from what Swaine could sense, there was a bit of discomfort, even dread, stemming from their lantern-faced friend’s emotions. “Mister Drippy!” Oliver called. “Are you alright?”

“Oh! Ollie-boy! Glad to see ya awake! Well, is the ship ready to sail?” Drippy asked, and the naga could sense panic within him, covering it with feigned enthusiasm.

“Are you kidding? Look at it! The captain said it’s going to take a week to repair!” Swaine scoffed.

“WHAT?! A week?! A whole flippin’ week?!”

“You sure seem worked up about it. Any reason as to why?”

“N-Nah, mun! Just… kinda throws ouer journey off-kilter, making an unscheduled stop, like!”

 _Liar._ Swaine thought, crossing his arms as he looked at the fairy. He was hiding something…

“We’re going to explore the island and find some supplies. Will you like to come with?” Esther asked next.

“What? Explore?? THIS island? Oi, don’t even bother! I can tell there en’t nothing here but a bunch o’ sand ‘n’ trees! How about we just… stay here and enjoy the view!” Drippy turned back towards the sea. “See? Proper nice this is.”

Swaine gave a deadpanned look, arching his eyebrow at the miles upon miles of flat waters. “Riveting.” He replied in sarcasm.

“C’mon, Mister Drippy. We can’t just sit around all day. Let’s go!” Oliver encouraged.

“I’m telling ya, mun! There en’t anything worth finding here!” Drippy tried to persuade.

“Heh, we might as well go, Drippy. Once these kids put their minds to something, there’s no changing them, right?” Swaine reminded him.

He held back a snicker as the fairy gripped his head, letting out a loud groan. “Kniiiiiiickers!”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The group was twenty feet away from the ship when the naga sensed a few wild creatures nearby. Up ahead was a jabber, a sprog cog, and a spike-tyke. They were strong, he could tell, and he looked at the kids, knowing they still lacked a bit of battle experience. He slithered in front of them, holding up his hands in a ‘hold on’ gesture. “Alright, you lot. Before we go any further, I think I should teach you about All Out Attack and Defense,” he told them, putting his hands on his hips as he spoke as if he were their instructor.

“How do you mean?” Oliver asked.

“Let me explain. When we’re in the heat of the battle and have an upper hand, whoever is calling the shots can give the command for the entire group to attack the enemy all at once, mainly when it’s a single foe. As for defense, if one of us catches an enemy about to pull a nasty trick, we give a holler and defend at the same time.”

“Okay, but how do we signal each other? Just yell out ‘Attack’ or ‘Defend’?”

“I recommend waiting for when the enemy is exhausted, or their defense is lowered, then someone can give a whistle and give a signal,” Swaine shifted one arm so that the elbow was upward, and waved his hand forth. “This means ‘Attack’,” he then crossed both arms over his chest in an ‘x’ fashion. “And this means ‘Defend’. This way, the enemy won’t know what we’re doing.”

“That’s very impressive!” Esther complimented. “Where did you learn those techniques, Swaine?”

“Ah, the ol’ man was always stern about---“ The naga caught himself, clearing his throat. “Um, never mind that. Why don’t we practice for a bit? Because if you lot are serious about facing that damn djinn, you’re going to want to keep your battle tactics memorized.”

“We will. Thanks a lot, Swaine!” Oliver replied, giving him a court nod as he did.

Swaine shrugged. “Ah, what can I say? I have a lot of wisdom to share.”

“Alright, O Wise Naga, how ‘bout ya practice what ye preach? Lets try out these new tactics!” Drippy exclaimed, then pointed eastward. “Say, maybe over by there?”

The naga looked over, seeing a stabber had spotted them and was coming their way. “Or the little pest coming right for us.” He pointed out, and the group braced and charged at it. “No slacking, you lot!”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The kids had a lot more credit in battle than the naga realized; despite they were up against some tough enemies, Oliver always seemed to have a spell ready, and Esther had a familiar prepared for combat if not ready to provide healing when needed. They did terrific with the ‘All Out Attack’ signal…

It was the defense they needed to work on. More often than not, the bard would fail to hear the command and end up getting the worst of the damage, or one of them would signal too late and everyone would end up critically injured.

At one point, they ended up having to escape from a battle, the naga quickly pulling the wounded wizard onto his back while hoisting up the bard, shooting off across the sands quick with the fairy clinging to his tail, not stopping until they were inside a cave and away from danger. Thankfully, the cave was filled with old supplies, perhaps hidden away by pirates for emergency provisions.

Well, this was an emergency, as the group had lost most of their own supplies during the wreck. Swaine spotted a green chest up on a ledge and opened it with his grappling hook, salvaging a Great Sage’s Secret. “Here, take this.” He told Oliver, handing the wizard the potion. “You’ve suffered a lot of damage, and you need to restore some of your magicka.”

The wizard thanked him, taking the potion and replenishing his health. Drippy, meanwhile, was rummaging through some old trunks and crates piled up in the corner, but seemed to be dishing out nothing but old blankets filled with moth holes, old boots, broken fishing poles, musty ropes, and a log book whose pages had been dampened beyond reading. Oliver dug around his bottomless bag, relieved to find Phoenix Feather he could use for Esther, helping her regain consciousness.

“Where are we…?” the bard asked, rubbing her head.

“Somewhere safe… for the time being. You two really need to work on your defenses!” Swaine criticized, unable to hold his tongue.

“As if you were properly shielding yourself! I recall having to heal you up quite a bit for not evading an attack!”

“Because I didn’t have time to react--- and from someone with quick reflexes, that’s saying a lot!”

“None of us had time to react! You can’t just tell us something and expect us to master it immediately!”

“Since when is warning someone considered high tier?!”

“Hey!” Oliver called, intervening on the quarrel. “Arguing about it isn’t going to help. It’s true that we didn’t signal each other to defend well enough, but that’s why we need to practice! Swaine, Esther does have a point though--- we need to learn some of these tactics outside the field. Like… having a drill first,”

“A drill?” Esther questioned.

“Yeah. Back in school, we had fire drills that taught us what to do in an emergency; and the army does training drills at their boot camps for certain situations.”

“(Heh, the grunts do the same thing, often…)” Swaine murmured to himself, thinking back.

“What was that?” Esther asked.

“I said it sounds like a good idea,” The naga slithered back and forth, pondering. “Lets see… Well, since I already know the tactics, I could work on the offense. I’ll pretend to attack, and you two defend.”

“Oi! What about me, mun?!” Drippy huffed.

“Mister Drippy, you can be our lookout. Make sure nothing comes into the cave,” Oliver answered.

“Agh, fine. Leave me out of all the fun…”

“I could throw you as a special attack,” Swaine quipped.

“Pah! I got watch duty to do!” With that, the fairy walked near the mouth of the cave.

Swaine turned to the two kids, giving a nod. Oliver and Esther took their battle stances, and they began to practice their All Out Defense.

The naga took it light at first, mainly shooting forth and shoving one of the kids, often faking them out into who he was going to try to knock over; once they managed to keep steady, he upped his tricks and would whip his tail--- not hard enough to sting, but enough to smack them on the arm.

Then came another trick. He had to make sure they could defend themselves mentally. “Alright, now this next trick try to focus on what I’m doing,” he said. He then began to move back and forth, both of the kids watching him.

He stared at them, his eyes shifting in color. “Whoa, how are you…?” Oliver began to ask, but his voice drifted off. Within seconds, he was in a trance.

“Oliver! Snap out of it!” Esther gasped, having shielded her eyes; she moved over and shook Oliver, breaking him out of his hypnotized state. She turned to Swaine afterwards. “That was a dirty trick, Swaine!”

“And there will be plenty more dirty tricks like that. That’s why you need to keep your guard up for anything,” Swaine replied, slithering over and patting her on the shoulder. “You did good; you kept your eyes on me, but didn’t follow my gaze. A lot of enemies have different ways to hypnotize you, and can put you to sleep, cause confusion, keep you stunned… you got to be ready to defend against maneuvers like that.”

“He’s right. I remember when I fought Hickory Dock back in Ding Dong Dell--- he had a trick where he would swing his tail and put me in a trance!” Oliver replied, and summoned his thumblemur. “Mister Drippy told me that familiars like these can withstand it, though.”

“Oh, I see. …Well, I guess you have a point, Swaine--- but don’t do that again! It’s… quite unnerving.” Esther muttered.

“How come you’ve never done it in battle before, Swaine?” Oliver asked.

The thief shrugged. “It’s kind of tricky, since a lot of enemies are moving all over the place. I would have to have all their attention on me--- and have them keep eye-contact without trying to kill me.”

“That’s true. We were just working on defending and weren’t moving very much--- the monsters we face barely defend at all, and just act on impulse!” Oliver pointed out. He turned to Swaine. “We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for tricks like that more often.”

“Yes, I don’t want to risk being put in a trance!” Esther agreed with a nod. She knelt down and pat the thumblemur on the head. “Perhaps we should find more familiars like this one. Where did you find him?”

“Oh, a boy named Tommy Stout gave him to me back in Ding Dong Dell.”

The thumblemur looked up at Swaine, observing him slightly before hopping up onto his shoulder. “Heh, hey there, little guy.” The thief chuckled, as it crawled onto his head and began to pick at his hair.

“Hee hee, he really likes you!” Esther giggled, seeing how the furry companion enthusiastically chattered as it surveyed the naga. “He must deem you compatible,”

“Compatible?”

“Oh, yeah! Esther said familiars respond better to people they really like.” Oliver told him.

“Mm-hmm. For example, Oliver is very popular amongst millites, and aves find me suitable. It seems that bestiae prefer your company best!” Esther added. “I bet if you used him as your familiar, he would listen to your instructions best,”

Swaine rubbed his chin; he remembered how Gunther always hesitated at his commands, but he always figured the hurly was tense about obeying a naga! Seeing that this thumblemur was absolutely comfortable around him changed his mind on that; perhaps his familiar just did not feel compatible with him as a whole. “Would you like to trade familiars, then?” he asked the wizard.

“Sure!” Oliver agreed. The thief summoned Gunther; the hurly walked over to the wizard, and immediately took a shine to him. “Neato! He likes me!”

The thumblemur chattered, nuzzling against Swaine. “Heh heh, I’m looking forward to working with you too, Lemahl.”

Summoning their [new] familiars back, the trio got back to training. After another half hour of practicing the All Out Defense signal, as well as working on their protective stances to ensure they couldn’t be knocked over, they decided to return to exploration. It was then they noticed the fairy was all too quiet over by the entrance.

“Any sign of trouble, Mister Drippy?” Oliver asked, making the fairy give a jolt.

“Trouble? Nah, mun! But… ah… we should stay put here for a while! I sense foul weather stirring! Might strike at any minute!”

The group looked outside; the skies were clear! The naga gave him a deadpanned look. “Funny… I don’t sense any foul weather,”

“That’s because fairy senses are stronger than naga senses, mun! Why, if we keep on exploring, we might get caught in a flash flood, or struck by lightning, or sucked up by a tornado! Who knows on a place like this! Not exactly familiar territory, like!”

“Mister Drippy, we still need to search for provisions, and we can’t stay in a cave all week.” Oliver told him.

“Sure we can, mun! Why, it’s even got its own little waterfall! There’s youer provisions--- plenty o’ fresh water for everybody!”

“Mister Drippy, is something going on? You’re acting very strange,” Esther questioned.

“(Twenty guilders says he drank sea water),” Swaine whispered.

“I’m absolutely fine!” Drippy snapped, jumping up and down in frustration.

“Then you’ll have no problem with us exploring a little more. In fact, if ‘foul weather’ is coming our way, the smart thing to do would be to get on higher ground!” Esther told him with a smirk.

“Knickers… knickers, knickers, knickers…!” The fairy lightly cursed as the group walked out of the cave.

They went uphill, finding an overpass that gave them a clear view of the sea and island. There was a thick forest further up, and what appeared to be a mountain; currently it was covered in a fog.

Suddenly there came a loud voice from nowhere.

_“Drippy-boy! Is that you??”_

“Whoa! Who was that?!” Swaine asked, giving a jolt.

“Er, no one! Nothing! Ye must be hearing things! This island must be playing tricks on ya!” Drippy stammered.

 _“How rude! Why don’t ye be a gentleman for once and introduce me to youer company!”_ called the voice again, and the group noted that it was a woman’s voice, sweet and kind if not a bit loud.

“Mister Drippy, do you know who that is?” Oliver asked.

“It’s nothing, mun! L-Let’s head back to the ship, there’s nothing to find here!” Drippy sputtered.

“Nothing, my eye! Lets go find out where that voice is coming from!” Esther exclaimed.

“Ha ha, I can agree to that!” Swaine agreed.

“I think it’s coming from the top of that hill. C’mon!” Oliver pointed out, and led them into the forest.

They all ignored Drippy’s groans. “Crikey… of all the islands in all the seas in all the world, we had to wash up on _this_ one!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Positive comments help the creative writing process, hint hint.


	10. Who Says You Can't Go Home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am 110% sure I botched the accents in this one. Oh well, read on!

Oliver and Esther ran ahead through the thick trees uphill; with his hearing, Swaine could pick up the sound of voices from a distance, as well as a sense of something… magical. This would have bothered him if he did not pick up feelings of delight from the source, and his instincts were not sensing anything dangerous.

As they got closer, they could make out signs of a tiny village up ahead. The naga paused a beat, but realized this was not an ordinary village--- there were no people around, and the houses looked quite small… and odd, considering one building had a squid on top of it! With such a strange setup to be seen, the thief had doubts that he would stick out like a sore thumb in such an odd little place.

Drippy sat on the back of his tail in lament, having fallen quiet after failing to change the group’s mind about exploring the island and tracking down the source of the mysterious voice. _I wonder what he’s hiding that’s got him so flustered,_ Swaine thought, but decided to leave him be; after all, he himself had his own secret.

Once they entered the tiny village, the answer hit them like a ton of bricks. Looking around, all they could see were fairies of all shapes and sizes! “Jeepers, they all look like Mister Drippy!” Oliver gasped in awe.

“And look at all these buildings--- they’re like funny little dollhouses!” Esther giggled, ducking when the squid-building swung a tentacle towards her head.

It was not long before the group was noticed by the locals. “Oi, lookit that mun! Humans!” one fairy exclaimed as a group of them trotted over.

“Funny looking bunch, aren’t they?” another commented.

“Knickers! Check this bloke out! He’s a naga! An actual flippin’ naga!” A smaller fairy piped up, looking at Swaine’s scaly stomach. “An’ here I thought they went extinct!”

“Great, as if one fairy wasn’t bad enough… now we’ve got a whole village full of them!” Swaine muttered, crossing his arms. He gave a fairy a heated look when it started poking him with a stick, making the small being drop it and back away in awkwardness.

“Swaine, don’t be rude… they obviously haven’t had visitors here before. I think.” Esther replied, scratching her head; another fairy was walking in circles around her in awe.

“Um, how do you do? Could you tell us where we are?” Oliver asked one of the larger fairies, while two smaller ones played with his cape.

“Why, you’re in the Fairy Grounds, mun! The home of the fae folk! Not so often we get visitors here--- wait a minute…” The larger fairy began to state, before looking beyond the wizard. “Who’s that…? Is it…? It is! OI! DRIPPY BOY! IS THAT YOU, MUN?”

The group looked behind them--- currently, Drippy was trying to stay ducked behind Swaine’s tail; he flinched upon being noticed, and groaned. “(agh, might as well face th’ music…) Hey, boys. How do.” The Lord High Lord of the Fairies stepped forth, faking enthusiasm though the naga sensed his discomfort.

“Drippy, mun, where’ve you been?? Haven’t heard from ya in… knickers, I can’t even count that high!” one fairy exclaimed.

“Ye can barely count at all!” Another fairy joked. “But aye, Drippy, you’ve been gone too long!”

“Aye! Ye need to head on over ‘n’ see Mam! She’ll be tickled pink to see youer face again!” The larger fairy exclaimed.

“Oh, ah, maybe later boys. Gotta keep an eye on this lot, y’know?” Drippy stammered, nodding over at the group.

“Nonsense! Let youer friends hang about for a mo, ‘n’ lets take ye to Mam!” A fairy with a swirl on his head exclaimed, and the whole gang of fae folk gathered around Drippy and hoisted him up!

“No no no no no no! Wait! Wait! Flippin knickers! OLLIE-BOY, HELP MEEEEE…!” Drippy screamed, as he got carried away.

“…Should we help him?” Esther asked. “He seems uneasy about seeing his mother, for some reason.”

“Yeah. I wonder why?” Oliver replied, curious as well.

“Well, lets catch up to them, then! I don’t want to pass up the chance to see the Lord High Lord of the Loudmouths squirm!” Swaine chuckled.

“Oh, be nice. And mind yourself while we’re here! It would be best to set a good impression,” Esther scolded him.

“I’m sorry, but they weren’t exactly making a proper introduction for us,”

“It would be great practice for you, though. The fairies don’t really seem to care too much about seeing different people, so there’s no reason to feel uncomfortable about socializing with everyone.” Oliver suggested.

The naga sighed, but gave a grin. “Alright, if you say so. …But first, lets go see what’s got Drippy’s knickers in a twist, eh?”

“Right, lets go!”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It hardly took any time to explore the village. There were tiny shops here and there, and miniature cafes and bistros, and a small inn near the entrance; all the shopkeepers were dressed like owls, swifts, crows and grimalkins in order to appeal to the chain of popular hotels and stores.

Beyond the village there was a bridge that crossed over a lake. “He’s this way,” Swaine stated.

“Really, you can sense him all the way over there??” Esther asked, astounded.

“Sense, nothing. I can hear him!”

The group paused, hearing Drippy’s voice: _“Oh, for cryin’ out loud, Mam! Would ye knock it off?”_

Followed by the mysterious voice from earlier: _“Bah, the cheek! I was just askin’ if ye met any pretty girls to settle down with! Why, what about the fine young lady ye ran off with?”_

The group hurried across the bridge, ending up at a small clearing where a tall platform stood. Up above they could hear Drippy at the top. The two teens walked over to the ladder and began to climb up, only to pause and look at Swaine in consideration. “Don’t worry, I’ll meet you two at the top,” Swaine assured them.

Slithering over, he grabbed onto one of the posts and wrapped his upper body around it, slowly climbing his way up as he did with trees. Along the way, he could make out the conversation:

 _“…you know, mun! Her! What was the name she went by again? I think it rhymed with something like… hippopotamus!”_ the loud, mysterious voice was saying.

 _“Give it up will you?!”_ Drippy snapped back.

Oliver and Esther reached the top before he did, and he could sense a strong feeling of shock and surprise coming from them; once he climbed over the edge, he shared their response. _What the bloody hell…?_

Beyond the platform was who he could guess was Drippy’s ‘mam’--- a female fairy that stood as tall as a mountain! She had bright sparkling eyes, a large smile, and a green spout on top of her head. Standing near her, the naga felt like an earthworm by comparison!

“Jeepers…” Oliver whispered, the trio standing near the back as the two fairies continued their banter.

“Oh, I remember now!” Mam was stating.

“Oh, do you now?” Drippy scoffed.

“Alicia! That was her name!”

“Blimey, took ye a while…”

“Mister Drippy!” Oliver called, getting both fairies’ attention.

“Oh! Ollie-boy! I didn’t expect ye to find me way out here,”

“Is this your mom?”

“Hee hee, I’m the mother of ALL fairies, love!” Mam replied. “Drippy, now why don’t ye show some manners ‘n’ introduce me to youer new friends!”

“Right-o, since ye keep insisting. *sigh* Ollie-boy, Esther, Swaine--- this be Mam, ouer Fairy Godmother here in Tee-Heeti.” Drippy stated in mock-introduction. “Mam, this here is Oliver, the Pure-Hearted One, ‘n’ his friends.”

“It is nice to meet you, ma’am.” Esther politely greeted, giving a curtsy.

“Charmed, dab. …Oh! What is that funny little creature with you?” Mam asked, looking at Swaine. “I recognize them from somewhere… I think he’s part of a race known as... oh, what was the word?”

“Give me strength, mun! He’s a flippin’ naga!” Drippy griped.

“No, I don’t think that’s it… Oh, now I remember! He’s a naga! That’s it!”

“(flippin’ heck…!)” Drippy face-palmed.

“Golly, it sounds like fairies have seen nagas before, Swaine!” Oliver said, his tone filled with reassurance. He turned to the Fairy Godmother. “Are there any more on the island, ma’am?”

“Nope! Haven’t seen any ‘round for years, dear lad. Not until today!” Mam answered.

“Figures,” Swaine whispered.

“Drippy… was this the reason you didn’t want to come here?” Esther asked Drippy slyly, putting her hands on her hips.

“Pah! Wouldn’t surprise me, lass! My son here tends to be a bit on th’ stubborn side, ya see! Why, won’t even turn off his lantern, he has it on day ‘n’ night!”

“How many times do I have to tell ye? I can’t shut it off!” Drippy argued. He groaned and turned to the others. “Sorry ye lot have to see this. Kind o’ awkward when someone brings his friends home, en’t it?”

Swaine rubbed the back of his neck; in a way, he could understand…

“Oh? Hmm…” Mam hummed, looking the group over; the naga arched an eyebrow, having a feeling she was up to something. “Drippy Boy, have ye lost weight?”

“What the flip---? What’re you on about now?!” Drippy questioned in suspicion.

“I’m just sayin’ ye’ve grown a bit lean since th’ last time I saw ya! I remember how pudgy ye were as a littlie--- used to call you my little Lard High Lord of the Fairies, I did!”

Esther giggled, stifling her mouth; Swaine scoffed, smirking; and Oliver bit his lip. Drippy crossed his arms. “Come off it. What do ye want?” The Lord High Lord of the Fairies demanded.

“The cheek! Oh well, since ye’ve asked… Could you take a look at my guts?”

The whole group gave a jolt. “Huh?!” they all cried.

“Crikey, just ask right out of th’ blue, why don’t ya!” Drippy groused, shaking his head in embarrassment.

“Er… y-your guts?” Oliver stammered.

“Please tell me I’m hearing this wrong,” Swaine remarked, digging a finger in his ear for emphasis.

“W… What’s wrong with your guts, ma’am?” Esther asked the Fairy Godmother.

“They’re not coming out, you see. The Littlies were due recently, yet they haven’t popped out yet--- not a single one! Would ye lot grant me th’ favor ‘n’ find out what’s keeping them?” Mam requested, as if what she just said sounded as simple as a trip to the store!

“Er… Mister Drippy? W-What does she mean?” Oliver questioned, having a difficult time comprehending what he just heard.

“Oi, it’s like this mun--- see, Mam gives birth to all us fairies! As Littlies, we stay in her tummy, then when th’ time comes for us to get out into th’ world, we burst on out ‘n’ join th’ rest o’ th’ fae folk in th’ village!” Drippy explained, then crossed his arms, a look of concern on his face. “Of course… if they haven’t come out yet, that’s a bad sign.”

“I’ve heard a lot of things in my life, but this is… this is… I don’t know what this is!” Swaine stammered.

“W-Well… if it’s that important, we should help in any way we can!” Oliver declared. “Just… how do we do it?”

“Tidy, I figured ye lot would be willing to lend a hand! We’ll have to go inside Mam’s guts, see, and in order to do so,we have to make her laugh! It’s the only way she can keep her big mouth open long enough for us to get in!” Drippy explained.

Swaine blinked. “ _Nothing_ in that sentence made an ounce of sense!”

“So… how do we make her laugh?” Oliver asked. “Tell jokes?”

“Nah, mun, we need real zingers to get Mam laughing! Sadly, I’ve been off the circuit for years, so I’m a bit rusty.”

“Oh yes. Only fresh material will work, love. Oi! Why don’t ye go find Smiley ‘n’ Surly? They’ve been doing gimmicks down at the Cavity Club these days! Perhaps they’ll be willing to lend a few lines!” Mam exclaimed.

“Smiley ‘n’ Surly, eh? I thought I gave those two a job! Ah well, I was gonna check in on ‘em anyway.” Drippy faced the group. “Alright, you lot! Let’s head back into town!”

Swaine let out a heavy sigh. He had figured this place would be filled with oddities, but this really took the cake! Following the group back down, they crossed the bridge back into the tiny village. Drippy led the way, the naga beside him. “So… I take it you don’t like visiting home, much?” the thief questioned.

“Agh, it en’t that mun. I like my hometown, it’s just… it gets to feel odd when you’ve been away for so long, ‘n’ you’ve been through so much. Plus, don’t know if you heard or not, but I had been turned into a flippin’ doll by Shadar ‘n’ banished to another world--- that’s how I met Ollie-boy, you see. His tears broke my curse! Before then, I had to communicate telepathically to my butties over by ‘ere ‘n’ get some information, learning ‘bout how Alicia was defeated ‘n’ all. …Well, after all that, it’s difficult to come home in the middle o’ a quest, especially after being turned into a toy for several years!”

Swaine blinked a couple times. “Wait… so… you’ve been to another world?”

“Aye. Pretty much watched ouer young wizard friend grow up I did! Never went anywhere without me, up until he got interested in building cars ‘n’ such, then I got stuck on his shelf! Why, I didn’t think I’d be picked up again, until after—“ Drippy paused, looking back at Oliver; the wizard was following behind.

Swaine followed his gaze; for a moment, he could sense a great deal of sadness stemming from the boy.

“Ah, well… let’s just say he broke my curse, ‘n’ that was how I found he was the Pure Hearted One destined to save the world! …Of course, I never thought I’d be introducing him to Mam this soon. Kind o’ embarrassing when you’re a mentor ‘n’ youer mother is meeting youer student before he’s even done with the lesson!”

“We can hear you!” Esther called.

“Good! That means youer ears are still working!” Drippy gave Swaine a nudge. “Ah well. Just be lucky ye don’t have to worry ‘bout awkward family reunions, mun!”

The thief rubbed the back of his neck. _Don’t be so sure about that, Drippy Boy…_


	11. Smiley and Surly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting! I'm sorry for the constant hiatus but-- much like Smiley and Surly in this chapter-- I pretty much lost my muse. 
> 
> I also thought about including an idea that during the act, Smiley and Surly would make jokes about Swaine being a naga and making him feel self-concious, but I pushed it aside because 1) I'm not sure if they would be the kind of comedians who would just poke fun at someone in a crowd, and it felt a little mean-spirited (even if they meant no harm) and 2) ...I couldn't come up with any jokes they would use anyway. (Look, I'm a writer, not a comedian!)
> 
> ...another alternate idea I had was that Swaine would be too big for the cannon and they would have to use a catapult instead, but in the end I decided, "Ah screw it, bring out the cannon!"

Finding Smiley and Surly was not too hard of a task. The fae-folk village was so small, it only took the group five minutes to spot the mouth-designed stage known as the Cavity Club. “Look, that must be them!” Esther guessed, looking ahead at two fairies on the stage.

The first one had long droopy ears and earrings, wearing a red outfit and appearing to have a constant smile on his face, no doubt being Smiley; the second seemed to have a grouchy look on his face, lips always pursed and arms crossed, his outfit blue and his name obviously Surly. Currently, they were at the end of a joke… and no doubt a bad one, considering the seating area was practically empty, a couple fairies leaving with bored expressions, and one fairy was even asleep by a tree!

“How do, boys! Long time no see!” Drippy exclaimed as they approached the stage.

“Drippy-boy!” Both fairies replied in glee.

“En’t this a surprise! We didn’t expect ye to be dropping in, mun!” Smiley stated, his hands folded together in eagerness.

“Aye, an’ I didn’t expect to see th’ two of ya hanging ‘round here either!” Drippy responded, his voice a bit stern. “What gives, mun? I told ye two to keep me updated ‘bout Shadar!”

“Oi, sorry mun! See, we just came back here for a rest… an’ well, after getting on th’ stage ‘n’ telling a few jokes, we got caught up in th’ fame!”

“Caught up in th’ fame, my foot. It was a flippin’ trek, mun! Not to mention that blasted dark djinn kept popping up all over th’ world, ‘n’ we had no clue where he was gonna be next!” Surly retorted.

“So, these two are the ones you were speaking with while you were a doll, Mister Drippy?” Oliver guessed.

“Yep, an’ this explains why I haven’t had any feedback in a while!” Drippy replied, shaking his head. “But we’ll get back to that later. Right now, boys, I’d like to introduce ye to this lot--- this be Ollie-boy, th’ Pure-Hearted One!”

“Huh, I kinda imagined the Pure-Hearted One to be… taller.” Smiley commented.

“Ye got a weird bunch with ya, Drippy-boy. Lookit th’ long-scaly one here—he looks like he’d swipe th’ dolly right outta a baby’s hand!” Surly added.

“Hey! What are you implying?!” Swaine snapped, though had no right to criticize the sour fairy’s judgment considering he _did_ recall swiping a few things from kids in his heart-broken state.

“Be nice, mun--- at least th’ girl is pretty!” Smiley complimented, giving Esther a little bow. “How do, miss.”

“U-Um, nice to meet you?” Esther replied, not quite sure how to respond.

“Alright ye two, cut out th’ quips. We’ve got an important matter to get to!” Drippy spoke up. “Mam says th’ littlies haven’t come out yet, ‘n’ we need ye two jokers to crack her up good ‘n’ get her laughing!”

“Ah… sorry, Drippy-boy, but in case ye haven’t noticed, our material hasn’t exactly been golden, lately.” Smiley pointed out.

“Too right, mun--- that last act was a real stinker,” Surly agreed. “We’d love to help, but I don’t think we could get Mam to crack a smile, much less bust into guffaws.”

“I will admit, it does look like you’re a bit off youer game…” Drippy evaluated.

“Aye, ‘tis a shame. Who would have thought we’d be splitting up this soon, eh?” Smiley sighed.

“Wh--?! Who said we’re splittin’ up?!” Surly sputtered.

“C’mon, ye two are a pair o’ comedy geniuses! We’ll help ya put the oomph back into youer act, ‘n’ you’ll be havin’ Mam rolling in a heartbeat!” Drippy assured them.

“Yeah! We’ll do whatever we can!” Esther added.

“What are we going to do, help them think of clever one-liners?” Swaine questioned.

“Oi, it’s a lot different than that, mun.” Drippy turned to Oliver. “Mainly it’s something Ollie-Boy can help us do!”

“How so?” Oliver asked in curiosity.

“You see, mun, my two butties here happen to be _art-broken._ It’s when ye’ve lost youer muse ‘n’ can’t muster up a clever idea or feel inspired to do the thing ye love to do! Almost like being heartbroken, like. For Smiley ‘n’ Surly, they need some pieces of art from other fairies to get their comedic wits back in high gear!”

“Okay, I think we can do that.”

“Don’t think mun--- ye know ye can do it!” Drippy turned to Smiley and Surly. “Just wait here, lads. Me and Ollie-Boy will help ya get youer act back together!”

“You’re a saint, Drippy. Bringing us back together when we’re on the verge of splitting up!” Smiley beamed.

“We’re _not_ splitting up! Give me strength, mun…!” Surly groused.

“Is there anything Swaine and I can do to help?” Esther asked; having travelled with Oliver and seen him mend broken hearts before, she always noticed the wizard and fairy were the only ones to complete the task--- Drippy sensing what piece of heart that was missing, and Oliver having the skills to replace it.

“Of course! See, we’re going to need at least eight pieces of art; ye two can go ‘round ‘n’ try to find any fairies that happen to have some to lend, an’ send ‘em to me ‘n’ Ollie-boy. It’s a small town, so it shouldn’t take long with all four of us pitching in,” Drippy replied.

Swaine scratched his head. “So… how do we know if they have any?” he asked, not quite familiar with this sort of task.

“Easy--- just ask!”

The naga rolled his eyes. Of course it would be that obvious.

…

While Drippy and Oliver went to one side of town, Esther and Swaine went to the other. They asked a few fairies--- a couple had some matters to attend to, such as one fairy having a song stuck in his head and wanting a new tune to hum, and another who broke a toy Teeny-Bopper whose wheels had broken off. Esther helped the first fairy by playing one of her songs, and Swaine helped the second by fixing the toy. Both fairies then went to lend Oliver and Drippy their pieces of art.

The rest of the fairies they asked had problems that it seemed only magic could resolve, such as a fairy who claimed his horns felt too heavy and another who wished his broom could sweep by itself. They went and reported to Oliver and Drippy, and realized that the wizard and fairy had gathered almost five pieces already!

“They really do make a good team when it comes to this, don’t they?” Esther said thoughtfully, watching the duo complete each task with ease.

Swaine looked at her, sensing a bit of melancholy from the bard. “Well, some people are gifted in certain areas.” He responded, folding his arms behind his head as he slithered beside her as they went up the path. “Oliver helps mend hearts with Drippy as his partner, you’ve got your harp that tames creatures, and I’ve got my sharp wits and gunslinger-expertise.”

Esther gave him a grin. “Well, of course… but I always feel like there are ways we can help each other out, so none of us feel like we’re just on the sidelines. It’s good to feel useful in any circumstance, right?”

The naga slowed down a bit, thinking back. He knew what she was talking about: wanting to feel important rather than feeling like dead weight, and trying to do something—anything--- to prove worthy, whether it was trying to help someone with their own task despite they were already highly capable of accomplishing it alone… or trying to find something you were good at that would help provide equal benefit to everyone.

“…Right,” Swaine answered, clearing his throat. “But, we help out in our own ways, and unless Oliver says otherwise, that should be good enough. It’s not like we’re shifting all the weight onto him--- especially since he’s already got enough on his plate already. We contribute one way or another,”

“I suppose,” The bard sighed, before looking at him. “You know, being a naga is a great benefit too. Your skills really help us out,”

The thief rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes, well, it’s still a pain in the neck in a lot of ways too.”

Esther wanted to give him some reassurance, but knew she had to choose her words carefully; she did not want to end up upsetting him by accident like she did back in Castaway Cove. She thought for a moment, looking at her harp. “Well, everything has its pros and cons. I have to play each note carefully, otherwise any song spell I use won’t work. Not to mention, quite a few spells use up a lot of magicka! Sometimes, I have to rely on my familiars to fight--- if they’re not strong enough or if I summon one that’s weak to certain elements or attacks, we would both end up knocked out.” She rubbed her arm a bit. “I’m… not really much of a fighter. I’m more suited for taming familiars and healing everyone. Sometimes I feel like what I have isn’t enough--- but I still try my best. Even if I’m not strong enough to fight, it doesn’t mean I’m not going to support everyone!”

The naga chuckled, admiring her moxie. “Alright, alright, I see your point. I’ll try to give myself a little more credit,” he replied, shrugging. “…Not that I need it, I think I’m quite useful without my naga-traits.”

The bard rolled her eyes. “And you are so humble about it,” she replied in sarcasm.

Swaine scoffed, but shook his head smirking. Oliver and Drippy returned to them, claiming they had all pieces of art, and they returned to the Cavity Club.

…

Drippy stepped up onto the stage, loosening up his body a bit before summoning a ball of light into his tiny palms. “Abra-ca-gag-ra!” he exclaimed… and a tiny little light floated over to the two before fading.

*Flash!*

A bright light shined around them afterwards. “Blimey!” Swaine exclaimed, shielding his eyes.

“Ho ho, I feel as good as new! I got a whole mess o’ material piling up in my brain!” Smiley exclaimed.

“Oh so not enough, eh?” Surly quipped. “Tidy, mun! Alright, take us to Mam! I’ll make her bust her guts laughing so hard, the littlies will shoot out in record time!”

“So, you’ll make her laugh now?” Oliver asked, though felt it was an unneeded question.

“We can make the whole town laugh, mun! Tah, Drippy, ye ‘n’ youer friends really came through! Just give us some time to prepare, ‘n’ we’ll put on a great show fer ya!”

“Glad to hear it, boys!” Drippy replied with a nod.

“Yup--- an’ if it shoots to heck, we’ll try solo acts!” Smiley added.

“For the last time, we’re not splitting up!” Surly snapped.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

While the comedy duo were going over material to use, the group decided to get something to eat, realizing they had not even had breakfast yet that morning! Swaine only had some coffee, his stomach still full enough that he wouldn’t have to eat for another three weeks. Thank heavens he had a large enough meal and wouldn’t have to spend days hunting in desperation to satisfy his hunger, and wondered how he would fare once his journey with the two kids was over with.

Of course, he knew it would be a long while before then. Best worry about that bridge when it came time to cross it.

Once Oliver and Esther had finished their meal, it was time for the show to begin. They hurried down; apparently word spread fast that Smiley and Surly were back to normal and as funny as ever, as the whole village was rushing to the Cavity Club to see the act!

The naga paused at the top of the hill. The area was very crowded--- not only was there little room for him, but the realization of being surrounded by a large group of fairies (regardless how small they were) made him feel unsettled. He considered slithering up a tree and watching the show, only to look up and find a few fairies were sitting on the branches!

Oliver tapped him on the shoulder, leading him over to a spot near the back. “We’re pretty tall, so we figured we should sit in the back so we’re not blocking anyone’s view,” he told the naga, though Swaine figured the boy just noticed his anxiety and wanted him to feel comfortable.

The thief nodded, watching as Oliver and Esther prepared to sit down. An idea popped into his head and he quickly slipped his tail beneath them before coiling around, having the two kids sit on his scales as if they were on a little throne, the naga settling between them. “Best seat in the house,” he quipped.

The kids giggled a bit, and they all looked towards the stage, watching as Smiley and Surly started their act.

It was a simple pet-shop skit, with the punchline being on the corny side… but the naga was still laughing alongside everyone else. It had been too long since he heard any jokes outside of his own smart remarks, and he hadn’t laughed so hard since he was a kid!

In the distance, they heard Fairy Godmother laughing loud enough to shake the island! (At this point, Swaine had to wonder if the sailors heard the commotion and if any of them would come to investigate).

“Tidy! They got Mam cracking up!” Drippy exclaimed.

“Does this mean we can go into her mouth now?” Oliver asked.

“Damn, I forgot about that part…” Swaine muttered.

“Right-o, we’d better hurry! Her trap won’t stay open for long! Let me round up a few butties and I’ll meet ya on th’ platform!” Drippy announced.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The group stood on the platform with Drippy and three tiny fairies within minutes. Fairy Godmother was still laughing hard, her mouth so wide open the naga could see the entire cave of her mouth, and suddenly had second thoughts about traversing down someone’s gullet.

“So… how do we get inside?” Oliver asked, noticing that the platform was too far away.

“Don’t worry mun! Already made the preparations!” Drippy assured him, turning to the tiny fairies. “Alright, boys! We’re ready!”

“READY!” One of them hollered over the edge.

“Wait, what---“ Swaine began to question.

*KA-CHUNK!*

“WHOA!” The wizard, the thief, and the bard all cried when a trap door fell beneath them! Swaine tried to use his naga-tail to hook around something but couldn’t get a grip!

They landed in a hole of sorts, all of them cramped together, the long scaly tail crushing everyone! “Oof! S-Swaine! Move your tail!” Esther grunted.

“I’m—mmf!—trying! There’s not enough room in here!” Swaine grunted. Suddenly, everything began to vibrate, and they felt themselves ‘rising’ upward!

Suddenly everything tilted! Swaine slumped into one side of his tail, Oliver and Esther on top of him. Drippy, meanwhile, was shuffling his way toward the opening. “Alright, boys! Let the mission to Mam begin!” he called.

“We have ignition!” one of the fairies called.

 _Wait a minute… are we in a…?!_ Swaine suddenly realized.

“Three…” the fairies outside were counting down.

“No! No no no no no no no--!” Swaine stammered.

“Two…”

“Are they seriously---?!” Esther began to sputter.

“One…”

“Mister Drippy, can’t we---?!” Oliver tried to state.

“BLAST OFF!”

*BOOM!*

Swaine felt like a ribbon, being launched through the air with the group, feeling weightless as they soared towards the gaping mouth of Fairy Godmother… screaming at the top of their lungs. Out of all the oddities the thief had to behold on this island, he was certain of one thing:

_“I DIDN’T SIGN UP FOR THIIIIIIIS…!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome,  
> Bashing is not.  
> Please leave a review,  
> I miss those a lot.


	12. Tummy Troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagining Swaine giving the Littlies a ride on his tail is too wholesome not to imagine.
> 
> That is all.

Swaine was the first to hit the floor when the group landed in the pits of Fairy Godmother’s stomach, his tail bunching up as it caught up to him; Oliver and Esther ended up landing on top of him, getting tangled in the mess of scales!

Drippy just casually floated down like a little bird. “Tidy! Everyone here in one piece, then?” he exclaimed.

“More like one pile!” Swaine grunted, pulling himself out from the heap. He looked up at Oliver and Esther. “Can you two get up, alright?”

“Mmf, we’re trying.” Oliver answered, trying to carefully untangle himself without inflicting any pain on the naga. Esther carefully lifted up the part that was on top of her, slipping out before helping the boy wizard, and then the two of them helped the thief straighten out his tail, making sure it didn’t end up getting tied in a knot anywhere.

Once the mess was straightened out, Swaine stood up and cracked his back, the group looking around. Rather than a cavern of bone, tissue, and intestines as he was morbidly expecting, the place they had entered looked more like a little school, with blue walls and a pink bouncy floor! He had to do a double-take--- there were even doors!

“Welcome to Mummy’s Tummy, the Faycare Center--- where all Littlies learn and grow before entering the world!” Drippy announced, hopping ahead of them.

“Oh look--- they have little classrooms and everything! It’s so cute!” Esther replied, obliviously not too phased that Fairy Godmother _had a school for a stomach!_

“Do… _all_ fairies have little buildings inside of them?” The thief had to question.

“Don’t be daft, mun! …There en’t any creatures small enough to live in one!”

Swaine face-palmed. At this point, he decided to just give up on logic and just see this errand to the end.

“Um, where do we start looking?” Oliver asked as they walked along.

“Where do you think? In the classrooms, of course!” Drippy replied, and they walked over to a door with a tulip on it.

The naga paused just then, something beyond the door alerting his senses. “Hold it! Something is in there,” he warned, slithering up to the front; with a hand on his gun, he cracked the door open to peek inside, opening it wide when he saw a trio of wild sea-creatures in the room!

“Crikey! How’d those beasties get in here?!” Drippy hollered.

A tiny cry piped up. “Help! Help! Scary! Waaaah!”

Swaine’s eyes widened; huddled in the corner was a tiny egg-shaped fairy!

“We have to do something! C’mon!” Oliver ordered, and without hesitation the group leaped into battle!

…

The fight was quick, the thief relieved to find his training with the two teens paid off as they managed to defend and attack together more efficiently; the whole time he kept near the littlie, who was hiding under a tiny desk. Pure instinct directed him to defend the small fairy more than Oliver and Esther, knowing it was incapable of protecting itself.

Once the menace was gone, they coaxed the littlie out of hiding. “Are you okay?” Oliver was the first to ask, kneeling down in front of the egg-shaped tot.

“Tidy! Tidy! Tah, mun!” the Littlie responded.

“But how in th’ world did those beasties get inside Mam’s stomach?! Normally it’s th’ safest place in th’ world! Nothing can ever get in without her knowing ‘bout it!” Drippy questioned.

The wizard pondered a moment. “You think Shadar did it?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it… Crikey, first it’s goin’ ‘round breaking people’s hearts, now he’s attacking littlies! That rotter’s just begging fer a swift kick in the---!” Drippy paused, looking at the littlie beside him. “Er, britches!”

“Are there any more littlies around?” Esther asked the tiny fairy.

“Friends! Danger! Danger!” The littlie whimpered.

“Oi, he may be right--- if one littlie was being bullied by beasties, th’ rest might be in trouble too!” Drippy concurred.

“Well what are we waiting for, then? Let’s go!” Swaine spoke up.

“We’re going to go help your friends, okay? You stay here until we get back,” Oliver told the Littlie.

“No! No! Too scary! Proper scary! Waaaaaah!” The littlie cried, running up and hugging the boy’s leg!

“B-But, you can’t come! It might be dangerous!”

“Agh, best let him tag along, Ollie-boy. Can’t exactly leave a littlie alone all shaken-up after a fierce fight!” Drippy replied.

“But he’s too little!”

Swaine chuckled, tussling the boy’s hair. “Look who’s talking. Let him come with, Oliver--- otherwise he might just sneak out and follow us anyway,”

“He’ll probably feel safer with us, too. Wouldn’t you want to stick close to your heroes if you were a little kid?” Esther pointed out.

“Well… okay, but be careful alright?” Oliver told the littlie.

“Yay! Tidy! Tah!” the littlie exclaimed, hopping up and down.

…

They made their way out of the room, the littlie hopping behind Oliver as they made their way down the hall. They entered a room with a sunflower on the door, finding three more creatures ganging up on three other littlies! The naga let out a hiss that startled the monsters, and quick as a blink shot around them and used his tail to shield the littlies, the wizard and bard ambushing the creatures while the naga held their attention.

Swaine summoned Lemahl to fight, while using his gun from a distance; his instincts to defend the littlies were going haywire, and if a creature came too close he found himself arching back, his fangs sticking out as if he were ready to strike! Thankfully, Oliver would hit the creature with a spell or a familiar would strike the monster first; one--- a Plessie--- was so impressed with their skills that it allowed Esther to tame it! She gave it to Swaine.

This went on for two more rooms; after each battle, the group of littlies grew, right to the point where a whole line of them were hopping behind Oliver in the hall--- if they hurried too fast, they would run over Drippy!

At one point, they all decided to sit on top of the naga’s tail for a ride. “Wheeeeee! Tidy tail! Faster! Faster!” they were all exclaiming in glee. Swaine only sighed and shook his head; Esther was stifling a giggle, which she tried to pass off as a cough when he gave her a look.

“Ah, this takes me back. I remember getting sent to th’ fairy lounge quite a bit as a littlie!” Drippy was chuckling to himself.

“Fairy lounge?” Esther inquired.

“Aye! It’s where fairies in charge o’ mentoring th’ littlies go fer breaks!” Drippy led them over to a door; inside looked like a little office, with a long tiny table and chairs; two fairies were inside on their breaks, and beyond the table were a set of stairs!

“What are those stairs for?” Oliver asked as he walked over to a Waystone to restore his magicka.

“Oh, it’s th’ main entrance into the Faycare center, mun. An easy way for everyone to get in ‘n’ out like,”

Swaine gawked. “You mean we could have come in through here rather than a blasted cannon?!”

“Why didn’t you tell us this before?” Esther demanded, hands on hips.

“Well, that wouldn’t be much fun, would it?” Drippy answered with a grin. Swaine threw his arms up in the air while Esther rolled her eyes, the two of them giving up.

“So, can we take the littlies out this way?” Oliver asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous, mun! The stairs are too big for a littlie to climb!” Drippy scoffed.

“What if Swaine gave them a ride up, then?” Esther suggested, turning to the naga. “Would that be okay?”

Swaine looked at the stairs, finding they went up in quite the slant; he looked back at the littlies on his tail, finding they didn’t have arms yet--- in fact, a few had rolled off and ran to hop back on! To go up the stairs with them would result in all of them tumbling down, and he had doubts their Mam would want to hear that her babies got scrambled!

“Better not let them ride my tail, they’ll fall off… so why don’t we each just carry them out?” Swaine suggested instead.

“Oi, don’t be daft, you lot! There’s only one way th’ littlies can go out! Mam would be furious if they didn’t pop out right!” Drippy scoffed.

“O-Okay, what do we have to do then?” Oliver asked.

Drippy looked at the littlies. “Well, for one thing, we gotta finish up rounding up th’ littlies. We’ve still got a few more to find!”

“Blimey, how many babies does your mother have?!” Swaine groused, slithering around the table in order to head out of the room with the group.

“Wheeeeeee!” all the littlies called as they rode his tail.

…

There was one room left to search, and the group were startled to find a huge hubba-blubber inside! The whale-like monster did not hesitate to lunge at them; the naga in turn suddenly got the instinct to attack in order to protect everyone, lunging and wrapping his body around the massive fish in order to hold it still and keep it from attacking.

But the beast was strong, thrashing its body around and slamming him into the walls, ceiling, and floor, making him fall off. Oliver let out a whistle, and made the ‘All Out Attack’ gesture. Swaine nodded and summoned his familiar, the whole group attacking the beast from all sides, while Drippy had all the littlies stand back and keep them out of harm’s way.

The hubba-blubber lunged at Esther, slamming into her and knocking her down. It then leaped to body-slam her, but Swaine shot his tail out and--- with all his strength, pulled the monster back and slammed it into the wall! Oliver caught a golden-glim and used his Burning-Heart special attack, which finally caused the monster to give up and disappear in a puff of smoke in defeat.

“Is everyone alright?” Oliver asked, handing healing-tonics to Esther and Swaine to help their injuries.

“I might have a few aches in the morning, but I think I’ll live.” Swaine quipped, looking at the bard who was holding her side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m alright, just a little bruising.” Esther replied, using the tonic. “What about the littlies?”

“They’re okay, lass. Now, lets do a head count ‘n’ make sure we got ‘em all!” Drippy answered, standing before the group of tiny fairies. “One, two, three, four, five--- all th’ littlies are still alive! Six, seven, eight, nine, ten--- everyone’s together again! There’s eleven, there’s a dozen--- hey that’s Bevan, he’s my cousin! Tidy! Looks like all littlies are accounted for!”

“Tah, Drippy! Tidy rhymie! Tidy! Tidy!” all the littlies were cheering, hopping around, some climbing on the naga’s tail and rolling off, a couple more tugging on Oliver’s cape, and three dancing around Esther.

“Ugh, they’re so annoying. Can we head out now?” Swaine groused, starting to get a headache from being surrounded by hyperactive fairy toddlers.

“Patience, Snake-Butt, we’ll be heading out in a bit!” Drippy replied.

“Snake-Butt! Snake-Butt! Ride! Ride! Ride!” The littlies repeated, climbing on the tail again.

Swaine groaned, making a mental note to never have kids.

“Let’s go, Mister Drippy. Fairy Godmother must be wondering what’s taking so long!” Esther stated.

“Yeah, and I kind of want to see how fairies are born,” Oliver added.

“Well, that makes one of us,” Swaine deadpanned.

“Alright, then! Let’s get to it!” Drippy declared, and led everyone down to the end of the hall.

At the end of the corridor the floor went into a deep slant; Drippy explained that it was a slide, serving as a metaphor for the littlies having one last bit of fun before being thrown out into the world, claiming his Mam was a bit of a fan of the ol’ “tough love” treatment.

 _Ha. They want tough love? They should have met my dad…_ Swaine thought, but shook his head, not in the mood to revisit old memories.

“Alright, Littlies, get ready for th’ Tidy Slide of youer tidy lives!” Drippy announced to the littlies.

“Tidy! Tidy! Slidey! Wheee!” the littlies all cried in glee, and eagerly hopped towards the slide.

The fairy turned to the others. “C’mon, you lot, ouer turn next!”

“Can’t we use the stairs?” Swaine questioned.

“Oh don’t be such a sourpuss. It looks fun!” Esther retorted, grabbing his hand and pulling him forward.

The naga sighed, but gave a shrug. He allowed the fairy and two kids to go first…

He froze just then; he sensed something dangerous at the bottom…

“Wait!” Swaine cried, but they already slid down! Quickly he followed suit, sliding on his stomach to the bottom and quickly curving in front of the others, looking ahead.

Sure enough, a massive Queen Jellyfish was waiting for them at the bottom.


	13. Born Again

“W-Whoa! What is that thing?!” Oliver cried, but was cut off by several more cries.

“The Littlies!” Drippy shouted, seeing that the jellyfish had all the littlies stuck to its tendrils!

“No way! We already saved them once!”

“Sorry, Ollie-boy, but th’ future of th’ Fairy Race is at stake!”

“Do we have a choice?” Swaine retorted in sarcasm.

Without hesitation, the group rushed into battle.

The Royal Jelly was a tough opponent; the group had to keep their distance in order to keep from getting smacked by its electric tendrils, as well as find a way to deal some damage to it without harming any of the Littlies stuck to its suction cups. The naga was quick with his reflexes, but the constant thought of the fairy toddlers being in peril kept distracting him.

“Swaine!” Oliver called, giving the ‘All Out Defense’ signal; the young wizard had been giving it for a few seconds now, the naga having been so focused on the Littlies that he had failed to notice.

At the last second Swaine defended, just as the Royal Jelly let forth a burst of electricity! He hissed in pain, his tail tingling and he took several breaths; blue light enveloped him as Oliver healed the group, and they turned their focus back on the massive jellyfish.

“Ow!” Esther cried, the Royal Jelly having gotten too close and smacked her!

Swaine let out a hiss, his eyes glowing green as he bared his fangs, and shot towards their foe, lunging forth without paying any regards to its electric tendrils…

*Twang!*

An ear-shattering, off-key tune snapped him out of his sudden rage… as well as knocked him back, making him sprawl out on the ground. He sat up, only to get hit by the attacking tune once more; he looked over to see Esther was strumming her harp maliciously, giving him a glare, a dazed look in her eye.

“Oliver! (ow!) Esther’s been hit with Confusion! (ow!) Do something!” Swaine called, giving Esther a look when she kept attacking him with her harp. “Would you stop that?!”

“Here!” Oliver tossed him a Confusion-be-Gone, and the naga quickly used it on Esther, snapping her out of her daze.

Esther shook her head. “Sorry about that,” she said quickly, as they turned their attention back to the battle.

“Oh good, I thought you were faking,” Swaine quipped in turn. He then noticed the Royal Jelly acting odd, and quickly shot in front of the kids. “Hold it! It’s about to do something!”

They watched as the Royal Jelly stilled, trembling a bit… and then out from its belly came several tiny jellies! “Good grief, it’s a whole fleet! But it looks like that move knackered their mum out! This is the best time for an All Out Attack!” Drippy exclaimed.

“We can’t fight all these little jellyfish and attack the big one at once!” Esther pointed out, summoning her familiar to fend off one of the little jellies when it tried to zap her.

“We have to try!” Oliver replied; he looked over at the naga, remembering how quick he was. “Swaine! Can you provide backup and cover us?”

“Oh sure! Leave me with the kids!” Swaine retorted, but gave a nod. While Oliver and Esther attacked the Royal Jelly, he focused his instincts in the little jellies.

It felt like a game, almost; all he had to do was keep the hovering balls of electricity from getting too close to the others. Their zaps weren’t as strong as their mother’s, so it was easy for him to swat them with his tail, if not shoot them. He summoned Lemahl to provide support, finding that the tumblemur responded to his commands without hesitation, and was quick and fierce! He psyched up the familiar, having it go wild on every jelly it saw!

Oliver and Esther, meanwhile, dealt as much damage to the Royal Jelly as they could, but the massive jellyfish got its second wind and began swinging its tendrils. “Aaaaaugh! Help! Help!” the Littlies in its suction cups cried.

“Look out!” Esther cried, pulling Oliver out of the way when the Royal Jelly tried to zap them. It then charged up, and the two kids hurried to defend. The bard looked over, seeing that Swaine was still fighting the little jellies. “Swaine! Defend!”

Swaine turned, but it was too late! Volts of electricity shot out from the Royal Jellyfish, and without his defensive stance his body was prone to all the afflictions, ending up paralyzed! The remaining little jellies hovered around him, preparing to attack him. He tried to call on Lemahl, but the familiar shared his ailment, unable to move!

Suddenly, blasts of fire shot the little jellies, some of them dropping in defeat, while the others scattered. Oliver ran forth, casting one more Fireball at a little jelly who was still too close, and patting Swaine on the back, breaking him out of his paralyzed state. “Are you alright?” the wizard asked.

“Yeah… now let’s take down this mother---“ Swaine began to snarl, though caught himself. “…Jellyfish.” He slithered towards the Royal Jelly, his pistol aimed and ready to fire.

He paused just then, seeing a golden glim floating down. He smirked and shot forth, grabbing it and feeling energy surge through his body. “Step aside…” he said to the bard and wizard, his adrenaline rushing as he lunged towards the Royal Jelly.

His eyes were glowing, his fangs long, and he felt like a bullet as he launched himself through the air; by instinct, he shot his hands out and--- quick as lightning--- managed to snag each and every one of the Littlies free from the tendrils. Once the rush was over, he set the tiny fairies down, having them run over and stay by Drippy.

The Royal Jelly was coming his way; apparently, it did not like being robbed of its prizes! Oliver and Esther were giving him a signal.

“Now you’re in for it!” Swaine exclaimed, and the group performed an All Out Attack!

Oliver struck the fiend with a Pulse spell; Esther summoned Gogo, her familiar striking the creature with a whirlwind; and Swaine fired at it with a Blindshot, though it left no effect. Lemahl was up close and dealing heavy damage--- the foe would strike it, but its confusion techniques left no effect on the familiar.

After Oliver hit it with one more Fireball, the Royal Jelly finally gave in and collapsed, disappearing in a massive puff of smoke.

“We did it!” Esther exclaimed, giving the team a thumbs-up.

“Yaaaaaaaay! Friends save the day! Hooray!” The Littlies all cheered, running up to the group; some hopped into their arms while the others danced around.

“Thank goodness, they’re all safe! Are any of them injured?”

“It doesn’t look like it. What a relief,” Oliver breathed. He turned to Drippy. “So, that giant jellyfish was waiting down at the bottom all along…”

“Seems like Shadar’s pulling out all th’ stops, mun. We’ll have to sharpen ouer senses if he’s wicked enough to lay siege on an innocent place like the Faycare Center!” Drippy sneered. He turned to the Littlies. “But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, it’s time for the Littlies to be born!”

“So… um… how exactly do _we_ get out?” Swaine questioned, looking around the area.

“Up there!” The Lord High Lord of the Fairies motioned them over, pointing up at a hole in the ceiling. “That’s ouer exit, everyone!”

“You mean we’re all going to go out that way??” Esther asked, astounded.

“Just like the Littlies, huh?” Oliver added.

“You bet! Get ready, you lot--- we’re about to be born again!” Drippy exclaimed.

At that moment, the ground began to shift, lifting upward; the Littlies all ran to the highest point and one-by-one leaped into the hole. Drippy followed, waving the others to follow. Oliver went next, slipping in; Esther went in next.

Swaine let out a low moan in his throat. _Great. I’m going to be officially ‘born’ with a snake-tail… by a giant fairy… with Drippy as one of my twins._ He thought as he slithered in last. Immediately he felt a type of suction pulling him upward… he began move faster and faster… until finally…!

*POP!*

“WHOOOOAAAAA!” The group hollered as they shot out the spout and into the air! Everything felt like slow-motion, it almost felt like they were hovering for a few seconds… before they started to fall fast, downwards towards the wide river below!

In a series of splashes, the group of travelers and the tiny fairies landed in the water, resurfacing and seeing a few adult fairies watching from the bridge; eventually everyone jumped in, joining the group in the swim as they helped escort the Littlies to shore.

Reaching the bank, Oliver and Esther were both giggling. “That was kind of fun!” The wizard admitted.

“I never thought being ‘born again’ would be so exciting!” Esther agreed.

“Next time a mother brings up how painful childbearing is, I’ll have reference.” Swaine grunted, taking off his jacket and wringing it out. He let out a heavy breath. “Well, at least it’s over,”

“Oh, don’t be such a sourpuss. You have to admit, this has been pretty incredible!”

“Pardon me if I’m not as enthralled about getting shot through the air like you lot,”

Esther rolled her eyes; she then turned towards Oliver, who was looking off to the side. “What should we do now, Oliver? …Oliver?”

Swaine looked at the wizard next, sensing a twinge of mellowness from him. Looking over, he saw Drippy walking off with a few other fairies, showing the Littlies the way to the village.

Oliver turned back to them. “Huh? Oh, sorry I didn’t hear you. What did you say, Esther?”

“I asked what we should do now; should we go with the rest of the fairies, or do you think we should report to Fairy Godmother?” Esther asked.

“I suggest we dry off first, before anything else.” Swaine spoke up, tipping the side of his head to drain water out of his ears. “I don’t exactly want to risk catching a chill. (Why don’t they have towels ready for this sort of thing?)”

“That’s a good idea. We can go into town and walk around a bit while we dry off,” Oliver replied, standing up. “Let’s get some coffee too, we used a lot of magicka in that fight--- plus, it should help warm us up!”

The naga smiled. “Now you’re talking,”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_~Meanwhile~_

“Did you hear? That mysterious beast in the wetlands has finally been dealt with!”

“Are you sure?? That creature was such a menace, other predators hid away!”

“Who could have defeated it?”

“I heard it was two children… that travelling wizard, and the daughter of the Great Sage Rashaad!”

“From what I heard, they tamed it. Someone in Castaway Cove said it was staying with them at the inn!”

“It was half-man, half-snake. I have never heard of such a thing, but the peddler I deliver to insisted it was true!”

“It nearly drowned a child. Such a fiend,”

“First it’s terrorizing travelers, now it is travelling with two young children. I pray for their safety!”

“We should get word to the Cowlipha! She should send her guards to keep watch for this half-serpent being!”

“I am making a delivery to Ding Dong Dell, I will see to it the locals are informed as well.”

“Wasn’t there a rumor there was a giant snake in the sewers there?”

“A giant snake? Reminds me of that fairytale about the frog prince!”

“Hey, are you people going to buy a babana split, or keep talking about tall tales? You’re holding up the line!”

Rashaad walked away from the stand, rubbing his chin as he pondered about these rumors. All he could remember was how Esther was once frightened to step out of the city after seeing a ‘half-snake beast’… and it appeared she was not the only one--- more likely, was travelling with it now! _Could this be true? Is my daughter travelling with a naga?_ He thought to himself.

He did not know much about the race… there was only one time he had seen a naga, but that was many years ago, and she had long since passed away. But if this naga was anything like the one he had met before, then he felt confident that Esther would be alright.

If he were wrong, and this naga turned out to be a malicious beast…

Well, he hoped the Pure-Hearted One would come to her aid.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

“Hmm? Are you sure?”

“Yes, your Meowjesty. The story has been spreading all throughout the Summerlands!”

King Tom sat up straight, looking at the two guards before him; not so long ago, his enthusiasm had returned... and just in time, as word has spread that a ‘man with the tail of a snake’ had been wandering the lands, had been terrorizing a village on the south-eastern shore, and was now travelling with the Pure-Hearted One! He began to pace, thinking. “This is quite a rare phenomenon. I have not heard about nagas since I was a kitten,”

“Nagas, sir?” The first guard asked.

“Yes, there was once a race of them in the days of my grandfather, but by the time I ascended to the throne they had practically become extinct! It is stunning that one happens to still be around! Purrhaps it is a descendant of…” He shook his head. “Well, it matters not. If it is causing havoc, we shall keep our eyes and ears open!”

“Young Tommy Stout said he believed it lived in the sewers a while back, sir. He claimed it was the only thing that was keeping the mice quiet, and once it was gone did they start coming back out into the city,” The second guard spoke up.

“Meoh? Hmm, that’s strange. I never heard of the race eating mice--- that is, unless they were savage enough and lost control; but surely that lack of impulse would be if they had been completely deprived of civilized contact and lived off nothing but feral instincts!”

“That sounds alarming, sir. This creature was said to be travelling with that wizard, Oliver.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much then--- if that boy can take down Hickory Dock and restore the kingdom’s enthusiasm, a bit of snake-charming would be no problem for him!” The first guard assured.

“I quite agree. The Pure-Hearted One would certainly be careful of the company he keeps! If he has tamed the naga, then there is no cause to worry! Now, return to your posts, I heard there was a mouse running amuck pilfering items and trying to pawn them off.”

“Yes, sir.” With that, the guards gave a bow and left.

King Tom sat back on his throne, his fur bristling as he gave a shudder. “I do hope that wizard knows what he’s doing…”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The naga and two teens had been at a little café for the last hour or so; they all had coffee, as well as some complementary cakes on the house for their help with the Littlies. Swaine, unable to eat sweets, had the two kids split his piece. By the time they were done, the sun was starting to go down, and thus when they noticed they were one companion short.

“Where’s Drippy? It’s getting late,” Esther inquired as the group walked through the village.

“He must be knackered after the day we’ve had.” Swaine began, only to catch a glimpse of the fairy near a tiny little bar. “…Oh, look. There he is.”

They stood off to the side, listening as Drippy conversed with Smiley and Surly. Something about “the good ol’ days” and how Drippy “was a master on the comedy circuit”, but the thief wasn’t paying too much attention; he could sense a pang of sorrow stemming from Oliver, and he looked at the young wizard, seeing the look of sadness on his face.

“…’Course, I do think about it sometimes, though; I wonder what it would be like if I had never gone off with Alicia, like, an’ see how far I would’ve gone in th’ comedy game.” The Lord High Lord of the Fairies was saying, while his friends only nodded--- having seen the group coming by and staying silent.

“Mister Drippy…” Oliver stated, his tone having a twinge of melancholy.

Drippy gave a jolt, turning around. “Oh! It’s you lot, en’t it? What’s up? You didn’t hear all that, did you?”

 _We most certainly did, you little gnome!_ The naga sneered. One minute the fairy was telling him about how he was training a young wizard into becoming the savior of the world, and now he was talking behind their backs about daydreaming about telling jokes on a stage instead! The cheek!

“We, um… No. We didn’t hear anything.” Oliver spoke up before Swaine could.

“Yeah, we just got here. Um, it’s getting late, we should get some rest.” Esther added.

Swaine wanted to say something, but held his tongue; after all, he had no right to criticize the fairy for a ‘what if’ scenario. Plus, he often had his own similar thoughts about home; however, that was different. From what he could tell, Drippy made a commitment to Oliver. The naga was just going to Hamelin with the kids to find the Great Sage, and that was it--- he made no promises to stick with the group.

“You’re right. Tidy! I’ll show you the local inn, shall I? It may be a bit small for you lot, but you’ll just have to grin and bear it!” Drippy stated.

Okay, _now_ he had to say something. “How am I supposed to sleep in a fairy-sized bed? I can barely fit in a human-sized bed!” Swaine scoffed.

“I’m sure you’ll manage. You never seem to have trouble falling into a deep and noisy sleep,” Esther quipped.

Swaine gave her a look. “You want noisy? You should hear your own snores,” He turned to Drippy. “I’ll pass on the inn. I don’t mind sleeping outside,”

“Alright, mun, but you’re missing out!” Drippy replied with a shrug.

As they followed the fairy down the path, the naga could hear Oliver whisper under his breath. “Gee… Poor Mister Drippy,”

…

The naga found a tree up the path, large and sturdy enough to hold his weight; he told the group he would be sleeping up there, and bid them goodnight.

Using his infared vision, he could make out the silhouettes of their body heat… having to shake his head, as he realized that the Inn had rooms that were half the teens’ size, the two of them having to scrunch down to fit in, the beds being used as pillows. If he still had two legs, chances are he would be suffering some serious back problems if he had to squeeze in one of the tiny rooms.

Drippy, meanwhile, was fast asleep in his own room, already snoring. Swaine looked back at where Oliver and Esther slept; the bard was lying still, but the wizard was sitting up; even from here, the naga could sense how glum the boy was. After twenty minutes, the Pure Hearted One finally managed to drift to sleep.

Thirty minutes after he was sure everyone was sleeping peacefully did the naga fall asleep as well.


	14. Back On Course

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it too late to point out that I'm writing most of the dialogue out of memory? And tend to improvise?
> 
> Also, BIG THANKS to everyone who take time to leave comments! I'm glad so many people are enjoying this story! :D *gives cake to all reviewers*

The next morning, the group checked in with Fairy Godmother; upon request, Smiley and Surly were with them. “Thank ye again for yer help, doves. I’m so happy to see th’ Littlies out ‘n’ about--- taking to th’ village like splishers to water, they are!” she said to the group.

“About that, ma’am, we need to tell you something. The Littlies were under attack!” Oliver told her.

“Under attack? My little darlings? How can that be? My tummy is th’ safest place ye can be, lad.”

“Well, it wasn’t yesterday. We had to fight a giant jellyfish on the way out!” Swaine scoffed.

“A giant jellyfish? …You mean that wasn’t a squid I ate? Hmm, that explains the funny taste,”

“Huh?!” The trio gasped.

“You mean… you ATE that thing?!” Esther questioned, astounded.

“Oh, yes, dab. I always go down deep into th’ sea for a bite to eat, like, an’ I tend to fancy a nice bite o’ squid. Proper tidy treat it is,”

“Tidy, nothing! Those things nearly killed us!” Swaine sneered.

“Ah, must’ve gone down th’ wrong pipe, didn’t it?”

The naga facepalmed.

“Well, that’s kind of a relief. We thought Shadar was behind it!” Oliver spoke up.

“Shadar? …Hooded figure, sinister being, breaking hearts all over?”

“Yes! You’ve heard of him?”

“Nope!”

“Blimey, is she taking the mick?!” Swaine questioned.

“Ha ha, I’m just kiddin’, dove. I see him flying ‘round once in a while, but his nasty tricks never reach here. See, ouer island cannot be affected by his dark magic--- there’s too much positivity here! Fairies are practically th’ most lighthearted ‘n’ high-spirited people you’ll ever meet, ‘n’ laughter is ouer most important quality! A bit o’ humor is always important, especially when ye feel down. Ye can say it’s ouer special kind o’ magic that keeps th’ wicked things in life at bay.”

“Golly, that’s really neat, Miss Fairy Godmother!”

“Speakin’ o’ magic, I hear talk you’re a wizard. Have a bit o’ fairy spells ye can use,”

A stack of papers suddenly appeared, floating in front of the wizard and filling his book. There were almost a dozen--- about cloning yourself, reading minds, turning into a cat or a fish, shrinking down, making yourself appear dead, and so much more!

“Wow, look at all of these!” Esther exclaimed.

“’Course, some of these can only be done by us fairies, but I’m sure there’s a spell or two in there ye might be able to pull off,” Fairy Godmother informed the wizard. “But, as an extra reward for saving my darlings, here are some things ye can _all_ use.”

She then handed them a few Gems, Drops and Stones for their familiars. “These are perfect! Thank you very much!” Esther replied with a short bow.

Fairy Godmother then turned to Smiley and Surly. “Now then! Speaking of this Shadar business… Smiley, Surly, I have a job for ye two!”

“Ready ‘n’ rearing, Mam! What’s th’ errand?” Smiley asked.

“I want th’ two o’ ye to go ‘n’ spy on Shadar’s castle!”

“Crikey! Throw us to th’ lion’s den, why don’t ye!” Surly exclaimed.

“Ah, ah, ah, no complaining! From what I heard, Drippy-Boy gave ye two th’ task of keepin’ an eye on him, ‘n’ th’ two of ye have had plenty o’ leisure time already!”

“Aye, she’s right mun. Plus, it’s th’ most we can do, seeing as Drippy ‘n’ his pals helped get ouer act back together!” Smiley figured.

“It was never apart! But I see youer point. Alright, Mam, we’ll be giving ya status reports on that nasty fiend th’ moment we get there!” Surly replied.

“Ta, boys, ‘n’ good luck!” Fairy Godmother replied, watching as the two left.

“By the way, where is Drippy? I haven’t seen him around all morning,” Oliver asked.

“He might be spendin’ time with th’ Littlies--- th’ little darlings have been awfully clingy to him since ye lot popped back out. I take it you’re heading out already?”

“Er, yes ma’am. We should get back to the ship, the captain must be wondering where we are,”

“Ah, very well then. Have a safe trip, ye lot--- be sure to drop by now ‘n’ again, th’ Fairy Grounds don’t get many visitors y’know! Oh, and remind Drippy-Boy to turn off that lantern of his often, won’t you?”

“THAT, I can promise.” Swaine quipped. Esther gave him a nudge.

Bidding Fairy Godmother farewell, the group climbed down and made their way back to the village; looking around, they spotted Drippy over by the Cavity Club. Like his mam said, the Littlies were crawling all over him, the Lord High Lord of the Fairies buried in tiny tots!

The naga sensed a strong pang of sorrow, turning and looking at Oliver. “Mister Drippy really belongs here, doesn’t he?” he said quietly, watching as the grown fairy played with the Littlies.

“What are you saying, Oliver?” Esther asked, looking at him with concern.

“I think we should leave him here. All his friends and family are here, this is his home…”

Swaine crossed his arms, thinking about the conversation they eavesdropped on the other night. He could understand Oliver’s intuition… “Well, if you’re sure about it,”

“Swaine!” Esther lightly scolded, turning to Oliver. “You really shouldn’t just leave him behind. At least talk to him first!”

The young wizard shook his head. “I don’t want to make him have to choose. Look how happy he is… and he’s been with me since I was a little kid, having been stuck in another world far away from everyone he loves long enough. We should just go,”

“He has a point, Esther.” Swaine told the bard. “I mean, ever since we got here, Drippy’s been hanging around with his pals. Didn’t even meet up with us after the Faycare fiasco or this morning! He wants to stay here--- and we have to get moving,”

Esther sighed, crossing her arms. “He’s going to be upset… *sigh* But fine. He’s your friend first, Oliver, and if you think this is what’s best, we can go.”

The wizard gave a sad nod, before looking back over. “Goodbye, Mister Drippy…”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

As if wanting to stall, Oliver suggested they explore the rest of the island. Ever since their fight with the Royal Jelly, their auras had grown, the creatures of the island staying out of their way.

After a few hours, they returned to the ship; much to their surprise, it was back in good condition already! “Blimey, you lot sure work fast,” Swaine commented as they walked over to Sindbah.

“There ye lot are! We was worried when ye didn’t come back yesterday. Tell me ye at least found shelter for the night!” Sindbah exclaimed in greeting.

“Oh we did sir--- there’s a whole village here! A fairy village!” Oliver replied. “We managed to get plenty of supplies from the shops there,”

“A village ye say? Har har, now that be something!” The captain turned towards the vessel. “Well, th’ crew have been workin’ all hours to get The Sea Cow back in ship-shape… ever since they heard this boomin’ voice th’ other day, they felt this place was hexed ‘n’ didn’t want to wait a full week! We managed to get it fixed up overnight! …Of course, we’ll have to work on interior damages throughout the voyage, just to make sure it’s in good condition. We may have gotten th’ holes patched up, but that doesn’t mean there could be a leak or two,”

“I can help with that,” Swaine told him. “I’ve got a bit of ingenuity, and I can use my senses to double-check for any minor damages,”

“Great to know! Heh, it seems ouer luck keeps improving with ye around, Swaine.”

The naga rubbed the back of his neck. “…enough with the lucky charm talk…”

Sindbah clapped his hands together. “So! Are ye ready to set sail?”

Oliver took a breath, letting out a sigh. “Yes, we’re ready.”

“Hm? What be wrong, lad? Did ye lose something important?”

“I… No, it’s fine. We’re ready to leave.”

The sailor crossed his arms, not seeming convinced; it was clear he noticed they were one member short of their group. “Whatever ye say, lad.” He turned to his crew. “AHOY, LADS! Ready up the gangplank and set the sails! Our voyage continues!”

The trio followed the captain up the gangplank, though the naga still sensed a great deal of uncertainty and sorrow from the young wizard. However, he held his tongue; it was Oliver’s choice.

…

It had been half an hour since they set sail, everyone looking out at the island. It was impossible for the naga to ignore the solemn mood from the wizard. “We did the right thing, didn’t we?” Oliver questioned under his breath.

“Of course. Family is the most important thing, we all know that.” Esther stated in reassurance, though it sounded as if she were trying to convince herself.

“And besides, he’s no spring chicken. It’s probably about time he settled down,” Swaine threw in. He had no idea how old fairies could age, but from what he could deduce Drippy had been travelling longer than any vagabond on earth.

“And you’ve still got us, Oliver!” The bard held the wizard’s hand. “The three of us can do this if we work together!”

“I guess so…” Oliver replied, though still looked glum. It was clear he wished they had brought the fairy along.

That’s when realization dawned on Swaine. Didn’t see meet Drippy before as a child…?

The answer came forth when--- before anyone else--- he could make out a distant shout coming from the island:

_“ooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOO **OOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!”**_

Looking over, everyone could only gawk as they watched the fairy race across the sands--- and then run on water as he rushed and leaped back on board of the vessel! “Mister Drippy!” Oliver cried.

“En’t ya forgetting someone?!” The fairy snapped, and it was safe to say everyone could sense his fury!

 _…Well. So much for a peaceful voyage._ Swaine mentally remarked.

“What the flip, mun! There I am looking for ya ‘round the village, only to find out ye set sail already! You’d better have a good reason for trying to ditch the Lord High Lord of the Fairies!”

“But… we thought you wanted to stay at the Fairy Ground!” Esther stammered, everyone astonished that the fairy had legged it clear from the island and leaped aboard the ship!

“Who told you that?! I want names, dates, and times! …Was it Mam?! Crikey, of all things---!”

“We just thought… since all your friends are there…” Oliver sputtered.

“Of course they are, mun. An’ they’re all very dear to me--- even the stupid ones! But you and me have been together since you were a toddler ‘n’ I was a doll, en’t it, Ollie-Boy?”

“You sure said different last night,” Swaine cut in, crossing his arms as he gave the fairy a stern look. “You end up hanging out with your friends after that mishap in the Faycare center, and you end up talking about how you ‘wondered what it would be like if you never left’--- and just that morning, you were talking about how you were being a mentor to Oliver!”

“Give me strength, mun! Just ‘cuz I was reminiscing of th’ good ol’ days doesn’t mean I would just up ‘n’ abandon him! Sure, I DO wonder what it would be like if I never took off with Alicia--- but that doesn’t mean I regret it! Why, if I stayed put, ouer young wizard here wouldn’t have found his way to ouer world! When I was talking with my butties last night, I was imagining what it would be like if Shadar wasn’t runnin’ rampant ‘n’ we all got to live ouer lives peacefully. Don’t look me in the eye ‘n’ say none of ya ever wonder th’ same thing!”

The naga paused, taking his words into consideration. Sometimes he did wonder what would have happened if he never left home… if he were there when his father died…

He shook his head. “Well, you could have told them that,”

“Oi, ye lot said you didn’t hear a thing! Talk about dishonest!”

“Didn’t you once say fairies were incorrigible liars?” Oliver remarked.

“Different! That’s different!” Drippy turned to Oliver. “But it really hurts the ol’ feelings to find that a long-time friend just ups ‘n’ abandons ya!”

The young wizard bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Mister Drippy. I just thought that you would be happier with your friends and family,”

“Of course I would be--- that’s why I came runnin’ to find ya! We’re practically a family too, en’t we!”

“(Blimey, I think I’m gonna be sick…)” Swaine muttered under his breath. Sure, he was getting a little attached to the teens, but to consider them ‘family’ was a stretch!

“Shut it, you!” Drippy snapped at him, before looking at everyone. “What I mean is, you lot are stuck with me, whether you like it or not, so get that through youer thick skulls, will you?”

“We’re sorry, Mister Drippy.” Oliver stated, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling ashamed.

“Hmph, we were only trying to be nice, considering the things you’ve said to your friends.” Esther huffed, crossing her arms. “It’s just as Swaine said--- you shouldn’t have been talking behind our backs!”

“Well, ye lot could have talked to me about it too! …But I think I know what the real reason is. You lot don’t think I’ve been pulling my weight, is it? Well, from now on I’m gonna start using a little trick that’ll blow youer minds!”

“Really? What’s that?” Oliver asked in curiosity.

Drippy beamed. “It’s called ‘Tidy Tears’--- if any of you lot are in a pitch during a fight, I’ll summon a bit o’ fairy magic that’ll heal you right up!”

“And you’ve never thought to bring this up before?” Esther inquired.

“Oi, you had youer harp ‘n’ Ollie-boy had a spell, I felt like it wouldn’t matter! ‘Course now that sort of attitude is out th’ window now!”

“Heh, I can’t wait to see this.” Swaine replied with a smirk, before turning to the others. “Anyway, it looks like the gang’s all here. Shall we get back to what we’re supposed to be doing?”

“Right, what he said! To Hamelin, and the next Great Sage! Autumnia, here we come!”

“Let’s go!” Oliver exclaimed, his spirits well-lifted now that the fairy was back.

The group peered over the railing. The ship was repaired, the skies were clear, and they were back on track of their journey. Their auras were stronger now as well, so most of the sea-creatures veered out of their way, their battles cut short now that their skills have improved.

 _I’m almost home, Marcassin. Hang in there,_ Swaine thought; he pushed back his anxiety, deciding he would worry about how he would face his brother once they reached the shores.

Hopefully, that bridge would be easier to cross once he came to it.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Five hours had passed, and the sea was quiet. Esther decided to take a nap down in the galley, Drippy deciding to lounge around on deck to get a little ‘sunbathing’ in; Swaine and Oliver went down to the galley, as the wizard was in need of something to eat, and the naga was feeling a bit parched.

“So, you and Drippy have been together for a long time, huh? When did you meet?” Swaine asked.

“He was a gift from my mom--- well, when he was a doll,” Oliver replied. “When I was little, my mom had to start working and would leave me home with a sitter; she gave me Mister Drippy, saying she made him for me to keep me company.”

“Made him? Was she the one who turned him into a doll?”

Oliver shook his head. “No. He stood up to Shadar and was cursed as a doll before being sent to our world.”

Swaine itched the side of his face, finding the two stories didn’t quite add up; and from the look of thought on the boy’s face, he figured the wizard was having the same thought. “If he was cursed and sent to your world, why would your mom say she made him for you?”

“I don’t know… Maybe he was damaged as a doll, and she fixed him up? I’ll have to ask him.” The boy let out a heavy sigh, his mood mellow once again.

Better change the subject, Swaine figured. “So, how did his curse get broken?”

“It happened after I cried on him. He said since my tears broke the spell, I’m the Pure Hearted One destined to save the world. He helped me find the spellbook and cast the Gateway spell, and has been guiding me ever since.” Oliver rested his face on his palm, looking at the bread he was snacking on. “…now that I think about it, trying to leave him behind was a really stupid idea,”

“It may have come off as mean-spirited, but you thought you made the right choice. You were sad when you saw how happy he was…” The naga gave him a look. “The question is… why would you rush to just leave behind someone so close to you, without saying goodbye?”

Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. “I guess… I thought it would be less painful, this time.”

“This time?”

“I…” he rubbed the back of his neck. “The reason I’m here in this world is because I’m trying to save my mom. She died, and… the Great Sage Alicia is her soulmate. Mister Drippy told me how she was defeated by Shadar, but if we can save her, it might bring my mom back.”

Swaine was at a loss for words. It sounded morbid--- no amount of magic could bring someone back from the dead! But he held his tongue--- he dared not criticize the wizard’s hope, especially since he could tell the grief was still fresh. “I’m sorry… But what about your father?”

The wizard only shook his head. “I never knew him.”

 _Ouch…_ The naga thought; for some reason, knowing Oliver was an orphan stirred something in his instincts. He suddenly wanted to coil around him, tell him everything would be okay, that he would be around to protect him…

No! No, he couldn’t get attached! They were almost to Autumnia, and once matters were settled, they would be going their separate ways, he was sure of it. Plus, the young wizard wasn’t the only one who suffered such a loss… he was just the only one who was willing to take on the Dark Djinn in hopes of bringing his mom back.

Swaine reached and patted him on the shoulder. “Well… from what I’ve seen so far, you’re well on your way. And once we get to Hamelin, I’ll do what I can to get you an audience with the Great Sage,”

“Thanks, Swaine. …By the way, do you think you’re ready to enter a new city? If you still feel uncomfortable, we won’t make you go in---“

“No, I made a deal. Plus, I told you, I have business with him myself. The real struggle will be getting inside without the guards raising alarm.”

“Huh? Do you know what the guards are like?”

Crap, he let something slip. Better make an alibi. “Well, no… but when you’ve been to one city and had to hide, it becomes a habit. Keep in mind, not every place is going to be as peaceful as Castaway Cove, we’ll have to take stealthy measures.”

Oliver shook his head. “You can’t hide forever, Swaine. You’re not a monster! …But, until we see what the city is like, we’ll find a way to get you into the city without causing a commotion. Maybe I can find a spell that will help!”

“Heh, with the magic you have, I would be stunned if you didn’t have several.”

There came the ringing of a bell, before Sindbah’s voice hollered out, “Land ho! Autumnia’s straight ahead!”

The naga turned to the wizard. “Well, shall we?”

“Yeah, c’mon!” Oliver replied with eagerness, and the two made their way on deck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about having Oliver tell Swaine about his mom sometime later, but all that went through my mind was a scene from "Filling in the Blanks" by EAD13, and I didn't want to risk plagiarism. Plus, I like writing moments where it's just Swaine and Oliver interacting (those of you who remember my old "Like A brother" fic on my old account know what I'm talking about lol), so I decided to bring it up now and maybe use it again later--- if not make it a critical point for the naga to feel even more attached to the wizard than he was expecting.   
> As much as I like writing bonding moments involving Swaine, I'm looking forward to going off-script more often.


	15. Autumnia

Esther could not help but observe Swaine the moment they stepped onto the shores of Autumnia. There was a look of content on his face, like a creature who had entered a familiar habitat… and considering she had doubts that someone with reptilian genes would easily adapt to a place with smoggy skies, the sound of oil wells pumping in the distance, and a landscape with hardly any foliage or soft soil, she wondered if the thief had been here before.

But she decided not to ask questions; she did not want to get too inquisitive and cause the naga to become completely anti-social, especially since they were about to enter an entirely new city--- one that she nor Oliver had ever been to before. But the two teens had an advantage, as they had experience in going to new places and meeting new people; Swaine was still coming out of his shell.

“God speed on yer mission, mateys; The Sea Cow will be waiting here when you’re ready to set sail again!” Sindbah called as the group went up the path that led inland, waving to the sailors as they did.

Looking around at the landscape, the bard made out the remains of walls scattered around. “Look at this. It feels like we’ve entered some ancient ruins. Had there been a kingdom here, before?” she wondered aloud, looking at Drippy as if the fairy knew the answer.

“Hard to say, lass. The Cowlipha did say this was a warlike realm--- perhaps these are the remains of a fierce battle.” Drippy replied.

“They used to be sentry posts during the Wizard Wars, alongside the mines.” Swaine spoke up, crossing his arms as he looked at a fallen wall atop a hill. “After the three kingdoms cut ties and battles ceased, they were used by the soldiers for mock-battles and drills. Nowadays, they’re just used as hiding spots for creatures or travelers.”

“Really? How do you know all that, Swaine?” Oliver asked, a bit surprised considering the naga claimed he had never been to Autumnia.

“Oh, I read about it in a book, once.” The thief slithered ahead of them. “But we’re not here for history lessons, we have a sage to find.” He paused, peering ahead. “…and as far as I can see, we’ve got a long walk ahead of us.”

The two teens looked at each other, but listened to their snake-tailed companion and continued onward.

…

It was not long before the creatures of the land were challenging them to fights. After defeating a Sprog-Cog and two Wild Boars, it was getting dark out; the bard suggested they find a place to camp for the night, but the naga claimed travelling at night was their best option, as the creatures in the area were not nocturnal. When asked how he knew this for a fact, he claimed his instincts let him know, and would immediately change the subject.

“It’s kind of hard to see,” Oliver stated, trying to keep track of his footing; only Drippy’s lantern gave a glow. He tried to cast Magic Lamp, but found his magicka was too low after that last battle.

“Aye, if it weren’t for my lantern, I couldn’t see my own nose in front of me!” Drippy added.

“Swaine, we really should wait until daylight.” Esther tried to persuade. “It’s too dark to see, we need to rest and restore our magicka, and---“

“Watch your step,” Swaine interrupted, quickly wrapping the end of his tail around her waist.

“Oh! What are you doing?!”

“You were about to walk off a ledge and into a chasm,” Swaine moved her back, having both the teens kneel down and feel around with their hands; sure enough, they were a few feet from a large gorge. The thief then pointed over. “There are some mine-tracks that go across, we can use them as a shortcut. I can see Hamelin in the distance.”

“He’s right, I can see some lights up ahead!” Oliver replied in excitement; he turned to Swaine. “You really have some great eye-sight, Swaine. …But wouldn’t it be dangerous for us to walk on the tracks in the dark?”

“I can lead you across,” The naga slithered in front of them; he raised the tip of his tail, looping it around Oliver’s hand. “Just hang on to my tail and join hands; Drippy, you can ride on my shoulders--- your lantern can help them keep track of where I’m going,”

“If you say so, mun.” Drippy hopped on his shoulder; Oliver held Esther’s hand with his free hand. The fairy pointed ahead. “Alright! Onward to Hamelin!”

Swaine slithered onto the tracks; his movement was less swift with the wizard holding the end of his tail, but it did not affect his balance at least. Looking ahead at the city, his mind began to plan out a strategy on how to go into the city, thinking back to breaking in through the old vent…

He felt a jostle and quickly looked behind him, seeing the wizard had developed a startled look on his face. “What’s wrong?” the thief asked.

“Oliver’s foot slipped!” Esther called, while whispering to the wizard, “(It’s okay. Keep going, and don’t look down,)”

“I-I’m okay. But I don’t think these tracks are stable,” Oliver replied; as if on cue one of the support beams groaned. “I felt something shake!”

Swaine froze, feeling vibrations on the track as well, and heard the rapid ‘clang-clang-clang’ of metal on metal.

“HOLD ON TIGHT!” With all his strength, Swaine swung the teens off the tracks, making them scream as they were whipped through the air until they landed on the other side of him.

“SWAINE! What--- on earth?!” Esther began to snap, until she felt the tracks rattling even harder.

Swaine looked ahead, just in time to watch a massive Beam-Man leap forth and land before him, a loud clang echoing down into the chasm. The mechanical menace let out bursts of steam, its gears whirring in ferocity. It was clear the automaton was rogue, perhaps having a few crossed wires or loose screws… but it wasn’t coming to them for repairs. It wanted to fight!

“Swaine! What’s going on?!” Oliver called, trying to make out the beast in the dark.

“There’s a large automaton on the tracks!” The naga warned them, keeping between the kids and the machine. He was the only one who could see in the dark, meaning he was the only one who could fight the monster. But he could sense it was too strong, its aura surpassing his own. He called over to the group. “Alright, I have a plan. On the count of three, you lot do all out defense and I’ll shoot it.” He took out his pistol, the robot turning its eyes on the weapon. “Ready?”

The teens took defensive positions.

“One… two…”

Quick as a blink, the thief whipped his tail forth and wrapped it around the machine’s feet, making it lose its balance; he gave a hard yank, making it fall on its back!

“THREE!” Swaine turned around and shot forth, ducking underneath the teens’ legs while grabbing the fairy and having them cling to his tail, dragging them off the tracks and leaving the Beam-Man to flail about as it was stuck on its back; by the time it was back on its feet, the group was far out of its range.

Everyone panted, the bard and wizard shakily letting go of the naga’s tail while the fairy clung to his head. “I thought you were going to shoot it!” Drippy sputtered.

“That was a bluff to distract it. Automatons always zero in on exposed weapons. …Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, we’re okay… but a bit more warning, next time! I was scared I was going to lose my grip on Oliver’s hand when you flung us to the other side!” Esther snapped, taking deep breaths.

“Hey, I told you to hold on tight, didn’t I? …But I’m glad it worked. I didn’t want that Beam-Man crushing you lot,”

“Yes, well… we’re safe, so I suppose that’s all that matters. But try not to act out of panic, alright? If something is wrong, just tell us.”

“It wasn’t panic!”

“Then what was it?”

Swaine opened and closed his mouth, but was embarrassed to say. All that had been going through his head was _danger nearby, must protect…_ and being on a narrow path 1000 feet high was not helping him think clearly. “Instinct. It was all instinct.”

“Well, thanks for getting us to safety. But we’d better avoid walking on those tracks until that automaton is rid of,” Oliver replied, patting Swaine on the back as he spoke. “On the bright side, Hamelin is right ahead!”

“What a relief! We’ll be there in fifteen minutes, it looks like.” Esther breathed with a smile. She turned to Swaine. “…Are you nervous?”

The thief gulped. ‘Nervous’ was an understatement. “A little… It’s been a while since I’ve been hom---“ he began, but caught himself. “Um, in a big city. We don’t even know how people will react around a naga!”

“We can go in and look around first, if it will help you feel comfortable.”

Swaine looked at Oliver; taking a breath, he let it out. “No, no, I should go in… But I’m going to have to use a stealthy approach. I’ll keep an eye on you lot from the sidelines,”

Esther put her hands on her hips. “Do you really expect us to let you wander off on your own?”

“Hey, I’m a grown man. I can take care of myself--- now you two head in, and see if you can find the Great Sage. I’ll meet up with you soon!” With that, Swaine took off.

“What the---! SWAINE!”

The naga quickly put some distance between himself and the pursuing bard; he looked over, seeing she had given up and was returning to Oliver’s side--- from a distance he could hear her complain about how he had been behaving strangely since they reached Autumnia. He ignored her suspicions, and made his way along the wall.

Sure enough, the old ventilation pipe was still there, and it appeared the elements caused it to rust a bit. Gripping it with his tail, he pulled, tugging with all his might until he finally pried the grill off, then slipped inside. It smelled of steam, oil, and smoke… and immediately he felt at-home, the industrial scent giving him a sense of ease.

He shook the head; now was not the time to bask in the comfort of home. From what he could figure, this was no longer ‘home’ to him--- it hadn’t been home for 15 years. Marcassin probably wouldn’t recognize him--- especially with the tail of a snake! He was a stranger here… a creature that no man was familiar with. His brother would sooner have him shot than speak to him!

 _Urgh, enough with the self-loathing. Focus!_ Swaine told himself, making his way through the pipes. They led downward, and he found himself beneath the city streets. He found a manhole and lifted it just enough to peek out…

He gawked.

Everyone was wearing pig costumes!

 _Dammit, Marcassin, what the hell are you doing?!_ The thief thought. He looked over, seeing that even the grunts were wearing the ridiculous swine suits! What on earth happened to the kingdom?!

He had to get answers. If this meant the empire had been overrun by a lunatic and something terrible happened to Marcassin, he was going to find out how it happened!

He slithered towards the Black Market first. He had always gone there when he was young, despite his father’s objections; often he went there for hard-to-find parts for his projects, but also knew it was a great source of information.

He slithered towards the end of the vent, maneuvering around the crisscrossing pipes and gears that were connected below the store, listening to the conversation between the owner--- William Abel--- and what sounded like a young woman.

“Uncle Abel, you really needn’t worry. I’m doing well!” the woman was saying. “I get paid well, and have no trouble with the rest of the help. Especially that shy servant boy who runs errands for the Emperor--- he’s so quiet. I bet if he weren’t the only one who never wore a mask in that place, I would never know he was present! He’s quite handsome too--- long dark hair, blue-green eyes, a thin figure… though he’s a bit on the pale side---”

“I don’t care if that young man was as gentle as a lamb. I still don’t like the idea of you having to be a maid in the palace, what with the way things are being run nowadays. I promised your parents that I would keep you safe, you know…”

“I know, uncle, but I’m doing okay. …Yikes, look at the time! I need to get back to the palace before the royal procession!”

“Be careful! …*sigh* What a stubborn girl,”

 _So Marcassin is playing servant, is he?_ Swaine thought. He recalled the portrait Oliver was carrying; something didn’t add up. The worst case scenario would be that his brother was just being used for appearances, but on the inside was being worked as a slave. But if that were so, why would he not be forced to wear a mask?

No, no Marcassin was smarter than that. If he weren’t wearing a mask and pretending to be a servant, it meant he was trying to fool someone. But who, and why? And why the hell was everyone wearing pig masks in the first place?!

The naga slithered back into the vents; he heard the sound of shifting gears echoing, and he made his way out onto the streets--- considering everyone was dressing like pork, he had doubts he would be the strangest thing they would see… that is, if they could see at all beyond those snouts!

He reached the top of some steps the moment the buildings shifted, and he watched as the crowds poured out on the sidelines, chanting Hamelin’s name with vigor. The royal procession passed by, and seated atop the passing throne was another hog-masked person, wearing a suit that looked heavier than the rest, wearing royal garb. He stared at the person, trying to use his infared vision to make out a silhouette, but it was clearly very stuffy in the suit for the heat signals seemed to spread throughout it.

Thinking about finding someone, he remembered the companions who had entered the city before him, and he scanned the crowd, spotting the wizard, bard, and fairy squished amongst the multitude. Keeping low, he made his way around the pig-clad people (as the crowd was thick enough to hide his tail), popping up behind the kids and draping his arms around their shoulders.

“Welcome to Hog Heaven,” Swaine quipped, as they watched the procession pass by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought a lot about how Swaine would assist the others in Hamelin; one idea was that he would watch from the sidelines and tell them what to do from a distance, but somehow I felt that wouldn't work since there aren't enough places for him to hide AND easily keep track of the others.   
> So, I went with the idea that--- since everyone in town wear masks--- he would feel a little less self-conscious (especially since he's wondering "WTF is going on" too much to care), and based on the design of the pig masks it would be hard for people to see him from the waist-down.   
> I also decided to come up with an idea on who Grace was, as well as how Swaine would figure out what was going on inside the palace. 
> 
> Anyway, I really hope this chapter was decent enough. The "sneaking in" part may be altered a little more (I mean, c'mon, the idea of Naga!Swaine having his own way to sneak around the palace?? Ya can't pass that up!) But all in all, I'm hoping my creativity doesn't run dry and the changes I make work out alright. Let me know in the comments!


	16. Appealing to a Strict Dress Code

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excuse me while I write off-script in a few areas XD
> 
> In unrelated news, I bought a "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manga, and after reading the first 6 chapters I'm impressed at how the author/artist managed to stick to the game's plot, but also altering a few elements that help it feel like you're enjoying the story all over again in a new way. ...I should take notes.

Once the procession had passed, the people began to disperse; a few people tripped over Swaine’s tail, but due to the masks and thick crowding, no one seemed to notice… even when it had a domino effect, causing several pork-clad people to topple over onto one another. It was at this point the naga remembered himself and quickly shot off, keeping against the wall as he coiled up in a corner; with his hearing, he picked up the conversation of the fallen bystanders, all who figured the heavy costumes caused someone to lose their footing.

His companions caught up to him. “Swaine! You’re such a… such a… a pain!” Esther sputtered first. “Where did you run off to? We were worried!”

“Well, I had to explore the city from a different angle, like I told you. And I happened to learn something interesting,” Swaine answered with a shrug, motioning the teens closer as he continued. “I heard talk of someone in the Porcine Palace who doesn’t wear a mask. He was described as a scrawny, pale young man with long dark hair. Apparently he does service for the emperor,”

“He sounds like the Great Sage in the portrait,” Oliver noted, taking out the picture once more. “But… why isn’t he wearing a mask?”

“A better question is, why is the whole city dressing like swine? I haven’t seen so many hogs since we went ‘n’ fought all those Boar-beasties back in the Golden Grove!” Drippy exclaimed. “I’m telling ya, something proper strange is going on in this town, mun.”

“(You don’t know the half of it,)” Swaine murmured under his breath. He turned to the teens. “So, what are we waiting for? Let’s head to the palace and---“

Suddenly there came a crackling on the speaker system, as an announcement was made. Swaine hissed and cringed--- due to his enhanced hearing, the high frequency irritated him greatly and he covered his ears! Esther reacted automatically, patting him on the back until it was over with. “Swaine, are you alright?” she asked.

“Fine… ugh, I had no idea the speakers had such a high frequency--- it’s a surprise the dogs don’t howl!” The naga responded, digging a finger into his ear. “What was that white noise?!”

“Huh? It was just an announcement… something about people being forbidden about making eye-contact,” Oliver told him, scratching his head. “That’s pretty weird. Who would make a law like that?”

Swaine gawked a bit, before facepalming. “(Dammit, what are you doing, you idiot?)”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing. Let’s head to the Palace, shall we?”

“Really? You’re not afraid about what people think about your tail?” Oliver asked, surprised at the thief’s change in attitude.

Swaine looked at his tail, frowning a bit. He had doubts the grunts would allow a naga by, unless he used his hypnosis… but even then, what would his brother think if he saw him? That is, if he even recognized him. Regardless, he had doubts he could handle Marcassin look at him in fear.

A couple of pig-masked grunts walked by, and the naga remembered that he was not exactly considered a freak of nature at this time--- something was wrong with his brother, and his overall concern for him was enough to help him ignore his self-consciousness. For now.

“Forget my tail. Considering everyone is dressing like hogs, I’m normal by comparison.” Swaine scoffed, and he began to slither off.

The two teens and fairy each exchanged a glance, but walked with him.

They passed by a booth, where two civilians looked over. “…I think this suit is giving me heat-stroke. I could have sworn one of those foreigners had the tail of a snake!” the man behind the counter exclaimed.

“I must be losing it too, because I saw the same thing! …and a funny-looking dwarf with a lantern on its face.” The customer replied, scratching his head.

Oliver and Esther looked at the people; a few glanced their way, but only murmured to one another. They looked at Swaine, wondering if he could pick up what they were saying, but the naga seemed focused on heading to the castle.

Standing out front were two grunts, who were in the middle of a discussion. “…servant sent someone out for his majesty’s favorite snack, last time I heard…” one of them was saying mid-sentence, pausing when he noticed the group approach. “Halt! State your business!”

“Um, hello there. We were wondering if we may enter the palace and speak with the Great Sage.” Oliver spoke first.

“A group of travelers wanting to see the Great Sage in the palace? Ha! Nice try, kid.” The second grunt scoffed.

“Please, you must let us meet him! We’ve come such a long way,” Esther urged.

“Distance matters not, little girl. No one’s seen the Great Sage in Lord knows how long, been quite scarce of company these days.”

“What about the Emperor? Can we speak with him and see if he could grant us an audience?” Swaine requested, despite he knew by meeting the Emperor they’ll no doubt meet the Great Sage.

“The Emperor is not seeing anyone at this point in time. No outsiders are allowed inside the Porcine Palace whatsoever!” The first grunt firmly stated, waving his hand in a shooing manner. “Now, why don’t you lot go about your way, before we give you the boot!”

“Aye, take your pet there for a walk or something,” The second added, motioning towards Swaine.

“Pet?!” Swaine repeated, quite offended. His eyes glowed green for a moment. “Who are you calling a pet?!”

“(Calm down, Snake-Butt! Don’t let these rotters get yer nerve,)” Drippy whispered to him.

“He’s not our pet!” Oliver sternly corrected the grunts.

“Well, excuse ME, but what else am I supposed to call that funny-looking thing with a light on its schnozzle?” The second grunt sneered.

Drippy turned sharply towards the grunts. “WHAT?! WHY, I OUGHTTA--!” the fairy began to shout, before Swaine covered his mouth with the end of his snake-tail… though the fairy continued to shout and shake his tiny fist. “MMMF! MMF MMF NNGH!”

“Well! If the Emperor won’t allow visitors inside, will he at least have the decency to meet us somewhere outside the palace?” Esther bitterly requested.

“You’re wasting your time, little girl. The Emperor won’t meet any strangers--- especially a strange lot like you,” The first grunt scoffed.

“But it’s urgent that we see him! And stop calling me a little girl!”

“(This isn’t going so well…)” Oliver sighed, trying to think.

Swaine looked at the grunts, an idea coming to mind. “Never mind then. We’ll try again tomorrow, perhaps by then he’ll be in a visiting mood.” He stated with a shrug, feigning a sigh. He rested a hand on each Oliver and Esther’s shoulders (his tail still keeping a grip on Drippy and his mouth). “C’mon, let’s head to the local Inn and get some rest.”

“Huh? But, Swaine---“ Esther began to say.

“Ah-ah-ah! No arguing.” He turned to the guards. “You must excuse my friend, here. She tends to get a little haughty after a long day of travel. If either of you have young daughters, surely you’d understand.”

“No… but I do have a little sister.” The second grunt said in agreement. “Now, get moving!”

With a nod, Swaine ushered the two teens away, while pulling away the (still highly offended) fairy.

The two grunts watched them go, before turning to look at each other. “Hey… did that scraggly bloke have a snake-tail for a lower body, or did those truffles we have for lunch turn out to be rotten?” the first grunt whispered.

“Nope, I’m seeing it too. Best have the boys keep an eye on this lot…” The second replied, rubbing the chin of his mask.

…

The group didn’t stop until they were on the top of the main-street stairs, the naga looking around to make sure no grunts were around before releasing Drippy and wrapping his tail around his companions’ backs to pull them into a huddle. “Alright, it’s painstakingly obvious our Great Sage doesn’t want to see visitors, so we’re going to have to try a new tactic.” Swaine whispered to them.

“A new tactic? Like what?” Oliver asked.

“Simple: we’ll have to sneak in.”

“Are you crazy?! There’s no way we could get past those guards! And even if we did, I doubt the Great Sage would listen to someone who just committed grand-scale breaking-and-entering!” Esther hissed.

“Hmm, I dunno, lass. I think Swaine’s got a point!” Drippy stated, crossing his arms as he sat on top of the tail. “Going on a stealth-mission en’t exactly th’ best way to get an audience, but considering th’ lack o’ hospitality back there, it may be ouer only way in!” He then grinned. “…Plus, we got a naga on ouer side who can just hypnotize him into listening!”

“Would that be even possible if he’s wearing a mask?” Esther questioned.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we reach it. For now, we have to find a way to sneak inside. Follow me, I have an idea.” With that, Swaine slithered up the stairs.

The teens and fairy shared curious-yet-suspicious glances, but followed their half-snake companion. He led them past the Inn and down a narrow alley; whether it was because of the tinted skylight above the city or lack of lighting, the area was quite dark and gave off an unsolicited atmosphere. The only source of social interaction could be heard from a bar they passed, where a lot of hollering, crashing, laughter and music resounded.

At the end of the alley there was a shop. Swaine motioned the teens and fairy forth. “Walk in front of me, so the shopkeeper doesn’t see me from the waist-down.” He whispered.

“What is this place?” Oliver asked; he had seen plenty of shops in the other cities before, but never one that seemed so… shady.

“Just a place that’ll help us get what we need,”

Hesitantly, Oliver walked in first; Esther and Drippy hurried to his side, while Swaine followed. They passed by shelves and trunks full of gear, weapons, artifacts and objects that they wouldn’t find in any other store… mainly because most of these items were either very rare to find, or illegal to sell.

“Welcome, customers, to the Black Market!” The shopkeeper greeted; he was a hefty middle-aged man wearing a flap-eared cap and sported a bushy mustache. “What can ol’ William Abel get you lot? Powdered ulk horns? A sky-sweeper clear from Ding-Dong Dell? You name it, we got it!”

“(Black market?!)” Esther questioned Swaine under her breath.

“We’re actually looking for something a bit more hard to find.” The naga told William, ignoring the bard’s disapproving look. “We’d like to get some Grunt Armor, please.”

“Wh--! Blimey! What would a lot like you want with Grunt Armor, dare I ask?” William questioned, this time being the suspicious.

“Let’s just say the place we’re heading to has a strict dress-code. We’ll make it worth your while,”

William crossed his arms a bit, giving Swaine a wary look. “Sorry, mate, but we don’t carry that sort of equipment here. Can’t help ya.”

“C’mon, Swaine, let’s try something else…” Oliver tried to persuade.

“Well, I guess I have no other choice. I’d really hate to do this, but…” Swaine sighed, ignoring the young wizard as he gave the shopkeeper a sly look, though kept his face stoic. “I happen to know about Grace.”

William gave a jolt. “What?! How on earth would you know something like that?!”

“When you live in the gutter, you hear a few things. I know you want to keep her safe.”

“But, no one ever knew about…” William rubbed his face, giving the naga a glare. “Grr, fine. Wait right here,” With that, he walked away.

Esther looked at Swaine, and even without his instincts he could tell she was appalled. “Was… was that a threat?!” she demanded, her tone filled with disgust.

“Look, it helped us get what we needed, right? Sometimes you gotta play rough,” The naga replied, not looking at her.

“It’s still not right! None of this is! I just can’t believe you would stoop so low…!”

“Can we talk about it later? We’ve got a mission to focus on.”

“Hmph!” The bard put her hands on her hips, looking away from the naga.

Oliver and Drippy only exchanged glances. “Awkward…” The fairy said out of the corner of his mouth.

William returned a minute later. “You’re in luck, we happen to have some armor in the back.” He crossed his arms, giving a humorless chuckle as he looked at the teens. “I have to say, I’m mighty impressed with your friend here.”

Esther turned and gave him a surprised look. “Huh?”

“No one else knew about my secret. I must say, your friend knows how to play his cards right!”

“But… wait, so it wasn’t a threat?” The bard then turned to the thief. “Swaine, I…”

Swaine only gave her a smile, sensing the apologetic emotion. “C’mon, let’s get changed.”

…

Esther got her own changing room. Swaine stood in Oliver’s, helping him slip on the armor. He only grabbed two pairs, knowing that there was no way the Black Market had bulky armor to hide his naga tail, much less knew it would slow him down.

Plus, he had another way to sneak inside…

“No, no, this pad goes here… there you go!” The thief stated, as he finished adjusting the wizard’s disguise. “Perfect, everyone will think you’re a rookie grunt,”

“Thank you… Um, Swaine? What was that remark back there?” The wizard asked. “How did you find out about… whatever secret William has?”

Swaine shrugged. “I managed to overhear a personal conversation. I can tell William isn’t a man who likes to show concern for anything--- it would be bad for business. He’d sooner hand over what you’d want before he’d swallow his pride,” He looked at the wizard, giving him a reassuring grin. “So, just to clarify: no, it wasn’t a threat. …If it were, he’d reach under the counter and shoot me point-blank in the face.”

Oliver’s eyes widened. “He has a gun?? …Wait, how do you know all this, Swaine?”

The naga tussled his hair, before placing the helmet/mask over his head. “Instinct. Pure instinct. Now, let’s go.”

…

Stepping out, they met with Esther and Drippy--- the fairy only having a helmet covering his entire body. The thief looked over the bard’s armor, helping refit a gauntlet or tighten a strap, making sure everything fit right. “Um, Swaine… listen, about earlier…” the familiar-tamer began to say quietly.

“It’s okay, Esther. Now, how does your armor feel?” The naga responded.

“I-I don’t know… How do I look?”

“You look great, Esther. We’ll blend right in!” Oliver replied first, his tone filled with mild excitement. “Jeepers, this is cool… I’ve never worn a disguise before!”

“Well, don’t get too excited. Keep in mind, we’re not playing a game now,” Swaine chuckled.

“This armor is so heavy… I bet it makes me look fat,” Esther sighed.

The naga smirked. “I certainly can’t tell the difference.”

“Hey!”

“(Blimey, with the right material, Swaine ‘n’ Esther’s banter would be a hit on th’ comedy circuit!)” Drippy whispered to Oliver.

“Um, well, is this all we’ll need, Swaine?” Oliver asked as means to quickly change the subject, remembering how irritated the bard got back in Al-Mamoon when an artist wanted to use her as a reference for a painting of the Cowlipha.

“Yep, this should do it.” Swaine replied, looking at the two teens, feeling impressed as if he had finished a brand-new firearm.

“I don’t want to know what you lot are planning, and I think it would be best if I don’t ask any questions. But nevertheless, I bid you good luck with that armor!” William commented from the counter.

“Thank you, Mister Abel, sir!” Oliver replied with a nod. “Um, how much do we owe you?”

“Ha! No need to pay, lad! Considering your silver-tongued friend here knows too much information for my sake, I think it would be in all our favors if I just lent you the armor.”

“Oh… um, okay. Let’s go then.” Oliver replied, and began to walk towards the front door.

“Ah!” Esther gasped when—in an attempt to follow the wizard--- ended up tripping over Swaine’s tail.

“Are you okay, Esther?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I just tripped over Swaine’s… oop!” Esther caught herself.

But it was too late. William looked over the counter, seeing the long snake-tail that was lying on the floor, connected to the thief’s waist. He looked at Swaine, catching him mid-flinch. “Well, now… It seems like I know a personal secret of yours now, mate.” He itched the side of his face, a sly smirk spreading on his lips. “…And I think I just came up with a _fair price_ in exchange for that armor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder if I shouldn't have just written it to where Swaine has to wear a very (VERY!) long dress as a disguise? Hmm...
> 
> ...Nah, I'll save that idea for Naga+Bara instead, lol. 
> 
> The story will continue--- if Swaine doesn't catch me. *flees, while our favorite naga pursues me whilst using very inappropriate language*


	17. Infiltrating the Porcine Palace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, creative liberties have been taken.

“And what sort of price would that be?” Swaine questioned William, giving him a glance; his eyes shimmered slightly in color, as he felt he would have to put the shopkeeper into a trance in order for them to leave in peace.

“Ha, you’re in no position to ask, you silver-tongued serpent. A beast like you is a rare sight to see, and it would help rake in profit for the market if I happened to have your scales.” William answered, crossing his arms and grinning as he looked at the long snake tail.

Swaine tensed, his eyes glowing; beneath his lips he felt his fangs beginning to stick out. Not only did this man refer to him as a _beast,_ but also wanted his hide to sell!

“Absolutely not!” Esther snapped, taking off her helmet as she stormed up to the shopkeeper. “Armor or not, we are not going to let you blackmail us so you can poach our friend! He’s not some animal you can just hunt and sell, he happens to be a person! And even if he were an animal, what you’re asking is just inhuman!”

“Yeah, we’re not going to let you have him!” Oliver added.

The naga looked at the two teens, stunned. They had only known each other for a few days, the thief not exactly showing the most trustworthy behavior, yet here the wizard and bard stood in front of him, defending him as if they were life-long friends! Even Drippy was looking out from under his helmet, looking angry enough to pick a fight on his behalf!

William raised his hands in defense. “Whoa, there! Easy now, I wasn’t talking about skinning him!” the shopkeeper exclaimed in a chuckle. “I suppose I should have made it more clear… I wish to have his scales. He sheds his skin, don’t he? Different kinds of reptile skins can be ground and used to make plenty of special powders. Scales from a raja-naja, for instance, can be used to make your enemies go blind!” He looked at Swaine, tapping his chin. “In fact, if he happens to have venom, that would make for a nice poison, if not turned into an antitoxin.”

Swaine relaxed, but did not feel less offended. The man practically saw him as a tall stack of materials! “Sorry, but I shed my skin during my last growth spurt five years ago, and I don’t think I’m venomous.” He sneered.

The shopkeeper walked over and knelt down to look at his tail. He then stood up and faced Swaine. “Let me see your fangs, lad.” He requested. The thief scowled, but exposed his fangs--- the shopkeeper grabbing him by the jaw and turning his head from side-to-side, humming with interest. “Mm-hmm, yep, just as I thought. You carry venom, alright!”

Swaine jerked away, giving him a glare. “What makes you think so?!”

“Haw haw! I happen to keep an index on different kinds of creatures--- what, do you think you don’t need a bestiary to sell claws and horns? It’s important to be educated on what you’re selling, otherwise you’re likely to have a lot of angry customers turning you in to the guard… as well as bad reviews. Your scales happen to have a specific pattern to them, mate--- many snakes with this color scheme happen to be quite poisonous. Of course, I had to double check as there are a few ‘mimic’ scales--- ones that look similar to venomous serpents, but only to trick predators.”

“So, how could you tell he’s venomous?” Oliver curiously asked.

“His fangs, my boy! Near the tip o’ his mandibles, there is just a sliver of a gap, which is where the venom is transferred from its poisonous gland, which would be… I would say…” He had Swaine turn his head to the side, pointing at the side of his face just below the temple. “Here, perhaps. The orifice is at the tip of his tooth--- quite easy to miss to the untrained eye. … Of course, since your friend had no clue about it, it relieves me to know he’s never bitten anyone!”

Esther gave the shopkeeper a cold glance. She turned to Swaine. “Perhaps we should take our business elsewhere, Swaine. I don’t like the kind of ‘customer value’ this place has to give!” she huffed.

“Aye… In fact, I think I know another shop where we can get better quality armor! My butties Shifty, Shady ‘n’ Burt have a few connections!” Drippy added with a sly smirk.

“…Burt?” Oliver deadpanned.

“Aye--- gotta watch what ye say ‘round him, he en’t too trustworthy.”

“N-Now, hold on! I didn’t mean any offense!” William stammered, a sweat drop dripping down his head.

“Well, it’s too late for that.” Swaine scoffed, though secretly he was enjoying the fact that the sly shopkeeper was worried about losing their business. If he played his cards right, he could have the salesman wrapped around his finger. “It’s not exactly business-savvy to ridicule a client’s traits, let alone try to milk them for profit after a deal is done.”

“Hmph. Says the snake who uses personal secrets as currency,”

“Very well. We’ll return the armor… and I can have my friends here inform Grace that her dear old Uncle Abel tried to _use someone’s body-parts_ to boost his business.” (He had to withhold a smirk, noticing Oliver blush and Esther stifle a gasp; Drippy snorted).

William fumed. “Why you…! Well, _beg pardon_ if I wanted to make good use of something so rare!”

“Sir,” Oliver spoke up, stepping up to the man. “We do appreciate your help, but if you were actually fascinated at meeting a naga and wanted to see if they could lend you scales or venom, you should have just asked rather than tried to haggle. If you want to come to an agreement, you should treat him like a customer, not merchandise. …Grace wouldn’t want you to take advantage of others, would she?”

The shopkeeper looked at the wizard, a look of thought on his face. He shook his head, sighing. “Nah, I suppose not… Fine. I’ll let you keep the armor. And I apologize for making your friend uncomfortable. When I see something rare, my first thought is how I could profit from it; I forgot not everything has a price. All I’ll ask is this--- whatever trouble you lot are heading for, keep my niece out of it!”

“We can promise that.” Swaine replied with a nod. He patted the wizard on the back. “Alright, now that this is settled, let’s head out.”

“Yes. Let’s.” Esther huffed, putting her helmet back on, and the group made their way out of the shop.

The naga heard William murmur under his breath, “…bet that venom would have been useful--- Grace loves making nail-polish out of that stuff!”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Before leaving the alley, Swaine had the group come into a huddle. “Okay, you two will be able to get in, but I’ll have to use an alternate route. Do you guys have any paper on hand?”

“I do,” Esther answered, looking through the bottomless bag and pulling out paper and a quill-pen. “I told my father I would write to him often while I was gone,”

“Cute.” Swaine lied the paper on the ground, drawing with the pen. “Now, these disguises will fool the grunts out front, but the grunts of the palace are--- _may_ be keener to notice something is up. It’s part of their regulations to know who is patrolling which halls and when they switch out, so you’ll have to sneak your way through. Many of the doors will be locked, except the one to the boiler room--- I’ll meet you in there. It will be right here,”

He made an ‘x’ on his makeshift map.

“How do you know that, Swaine?” Esther asked in suspicion.

"I memorized a set of blueprints while we were in William’s shop and happen to have a photographic memory,” Swaine half-lied. He had memorized blue-prints, but not in William’s shop; as a boy he memorized the outline of the Porcine Palace, mainly to figure out a few hiding spots for games, or what renovations could be made. And considering he had doubts Marcassin rearranged the entire domain in the last 15 years, he was certain his companions could find their way through without getting lost.

The bard remained wary. “But how do you know what doors will be locked?”

“It’s common knowledge. All palaces lock doors when not expecting guests, except for doors that lead to their central power source in case something went wrong. The same exception applies to the janitor closets.”

Esther rolled her eyes, giving up.

“So we can just walk right through the guards out front?” Oliver asked, focusing on the mission.

“Not so fast. The guards will be skeptical. Just say you were on an errand, fetching black truffles for the emperor.” Swaine advised. “You got that? Black. Truffles.”

“Black truffles. Got it.”

“Okay. I’ll see you to the streets, but then we’ll have to split up. Remember--- you’ll have to be sneaky once you get inside. There are nooks you can hide in until the guards pass by, but be very careful--- you’ll have to check every direction, and make sure no one is coming. One guard may be rounding the opposite corner while you’re waiting for another to walk around another.”

“What do we do if we get caught?”

“Simple, Ollie-Boy! There’s only one thing ye can do in those times,” Drippy firmly stated. “Stand firm, look ‘em square in th’ eye… an’ LEG IT!”

Swaine pointed at the fairy. “What he said. Unless you’re surrounded, it’ll be easy to outrun them; of course, you’ll have to be even stealthier when you go back in, because word spreads fast.” He looked at the two teens, sensing their concern; he rested a hand on their shoulders. “But don’t worry. If you guys are caught in a scrape, give a holler, and I’ll distract the guards long enough for you guys to get away. *ahem* Though, I don’t have a Plan B yet, so try to make yourselves scarce, okay?”

“Don’t worry, Swaine, we’ll be alright.” Oliver assured him.

“Right. Black truffles, hide in th’ nooks, get to th’ boiler room, and we’ll work on it from there!” Drippy added.

Esther sighed; she was unsure about this, and her suspicions of the thief only continued to grow, but at the moment they didn’t have any other choices. Something about Hamelin was off-kilter and keeping them from having a formal audience with the Great Sage. If anything, she hoped their actions would be forgiven once he heard their reasons.

“Alright. Let’s go.” The bard finally responded.

…

When they reached Hamelin’s main street, Swaine slithered behind them; there came a soft ‘clang’, and they looked over to find he had disappeared underneath a manhole. Trusting their naga’s plan, they approached the guards and gave the alibi; it was a success, much to their surprise, and they walked forth to the palace.

“Oliver… how do you think Swaine _really_ knows all this?” Esther whispered before they entered. “For someone who claims he has never visited Autumnia, he seems to have a lot figured out.”

“We have to trust him, Esther. He’s helped us this far,” Oliver replied. “I have some questions myself, but keep in mind--- Swaine hasn’t been around people for years, and we haven’t known each other for too long. He might have secrets, but if we keep pestering him, he’ll just keep to himself--- maybe even go back to being a hermit. Plus, he said he has business with the Great Sage… maybe we’ll figure out everything then.”

“Just so long as it’s not something insidious, mun. I en’t saying Swaine’s a villain, but I en’t exactly calling him a saint, either. Chances are, th’ Great Sage here probably cursed him, ‘n’ he wants it undone!” Drippy theorized.

Oliver shook his head. “If he were cursed, he would have told us--- and would have even warned us that the Great Sage was dangerous. Until the real reason is given, no more questioning Swaine.” He firmly stated. He then turned to the palace doors. “Now, c’mon… we have to find our way through these halls without being seen.”

His friends nodded, and they made their way inside.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The underground pipes let off steam every minute or so, and the naga had to use his heat-sensors to see which were safe to climb on and which ones to avoid. Every once in a while he would look up, trying to use his skill to pinpoint where the teens and fairy were; he ended up tensing when he saw a guard coming their way, until the pipe he was clinging to began to heat up; once he moved, he was relieved to see the group managed to hide, and the guard passed by.

He made it to the boiler room within twenty minutes, scaling up the pipes and over the railing onto the platform. He looked towards the walls, seeing the outline of a hefty grunt passing by, counting how many times he walked back and forth. He was up to 15 when he saw three shapes sneaking behind the guard before finally coming through the door.

 _Thank goodness._ He thought, giving them a smile as they rushed up to him. “*gasp puff* Whew! We made it…” Oliver sighed.

“Had a few close calls, mun. I almost thought someone was ‘bout to trip over me!” Drippy panted.

“Well, at least we’re here. What do we do now?” Esther asked Swaine.

The naga slithered over to the manhole. “We’ll have to sneak down this way. Your suits are too big, so go ahead and discard them,” he advised.

“That’s a relief. I was getting sweaty!” Oliver replied, letting out a relieved sigh as he took off his helmet. He and Esther climbed out of the armor, stuffing them inside the bottomless bag should they need them again later.

“I’m keepin’ th’ helmet, mun. Gotta admit, pretending to be a misplaced helmet is the best disguise!” Drippy bragged.

“Right… until someone tries to pick you up,” Swaine quipped, turning to the hole. “Alright, I’ll go first.”

Everyone watched as Swaine lowered his tail in, before sliding inside; he grabbed the bars of the ladder, and practically dropped down, sliding down the small space until the tip of his tail reached ground. He waited until Oliver and Esther climbed down--- the wizard catching Drippy as the fairy had jumped down with only a quick ‘Lookout below!’ as a warning.

They were all below the pipes now, walking through a narrow space lit with dim red lights. They passed a few more ladders, Swaine counting to himself; the manholes were used as emergency escape routes in case the palace was under siege, placed in specific areas for easy access. At the end of the underground corridor, there was an escape hatch that led to a tunnel connected to an old mine not too far off.

 _Okay, so you were right. Those ‘emergency evacuation’ drills did prove useful. Don’t brag about it._ He thought, thinking of the one who had taught him to memorize every stairway, nook, tunnel, hell even _closet_ the palace had.

Coming across a third ladder, he led the group up to another manhole. Climbing up, he led them into a dark dead-end hallway, which led to the indoor courtyard. There were pig-themed fountains spouting water into an indoor creek, which went around the garden. Seeing the place after almost two decades brought forth memories of him and his brother practicing magic, testing inventions, or sneaking through the foliage late at night when they were kids…

He looked at Oliver and Esther, the two looking around the room in wonder. “Jeepers,” the young wizard gasped in awe.

“So this is how th’ other half live. Nice!” Drippy commented.

“It’s so beautiful,” Esther whispered in admiration, looking up at the skylight.

Swaine tapped the bard on the shoulder, thumbing over to a corridor. “C’mon, it’s this way.” He told her as well as the others.

“Huh? Swaine, wait up!” Oliver called, as he and Esther tried to catch up to him.

But the naga was focused on the path ahead. If he recalled, Marcassin’s room was right down this hallway. They could wait for him there, if he wasn’t there already…

He froze just then, sensing a strong presence up ahead… and found out that his brother, apparently, updated his security system.

Quickly he turned around and shot down the hall. “Run!” he shouted to Oliver and Esther, the group running and crying out as the giant automaton chasing Swaine came barreling down the corridor! It hit the pillars, having to adjust the cannons so it could fit through, and drove out in front of them!

Swaine gawked, recognizing the design; he and Marcassin had worked on the blueprints for the prototype when they were kids… and now he saw it at full scale. _Porco Grosso?! He actually had Porco Grosso built… without me?!_ He thought in shock.

He and his brother were going to have a LOT to talk about after this…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *how I imagine future dinner conversations would go..*
> 
> Swaine: No, seriously! There we were, trying to make our way down the halls, and I find out that my little brother as a frickin' PIG TANK guarding his room! C'mon, Marcassin, I was gone for 15 years--- I don't think you had any reason to guard your stuff. 
> 
> Marcassin: Then why were you going that way in the first place?
> 
> Swaine: We were looking for you! 
> 
> Marcassin: I was in the royal chambers, you could have checked there first!
> 
> Swaine: True... but then I wouldn't have heard your reference to "Howl's Moving Castle" XD
> 
> Marcassin: *sigh* ...By the way, Gascon?
> 
> Swaine: Yes?
> 
> Marcassin: Why on earth are you half snake?
> 
> Swaine: *points to me*
> 
> Me: ...
> 
> Me: In my defense, the plot bunnies made me do it. 
> 
> Plot bunnies: *are eating lettuce off the table*
> 
> Marcassin: Where...?
> 
> Swaine: Just abandon all logical sense at this point, Pretty Boy. *sips drink*


End file.
